What if I Told You That I Love You?
by BookDragon2187
Summary: "F-Fred?" she asked timidly. The man just smirked at her. "I thought...I thought you-" "Died," he finished for her. "Almost did, but you lot can't get rid of me that easily," he chuckled. - The war is over and Hermione couldn't be happier to be in a relationship with Ron. What could go wrong? Well, turns out a lot can actually.
1. The Battle Is Won

Before the eyes of everyone in the Great Hall, the being who had inflicted so much pain and suffering on the Wizarding World, fell dead to the floor. It was over. They had won.

However, with this victory there was no cheering, nor even applause. No, what filled the Great Hall was an eerie silence.

Hermione Granger stood rooted to the spot. Her gaze focused on the boy who had just finished off the Dark Lord. _I should see if Harry's okay_, she thought.

She began to walk toward him, but, upon putting the first foot forward, she became acutely aware of how exhausted she was. The adrenaline that had been coursing through her was surely wearing off now, causing her to feel every ounce of pain that filled her small body. However, being the stubborn Gryffindor she was, she placed another foot forward.

This was a mistake.

Black spots began to fill her vision. Everything was swirling around her. Before she could take another step, everything went black. The world disappeared before her.

**oOo**

"Hermione..."

Hermione stirred slightly, but did not open her eyes at the sound of her name.

"Hermione," called the voice again. Still she did not respond.

"Oi, Granger! Would you bloody wake up already?!"

Hermione finally opened her eyes. Her vision was slightly blurred and her head hurt like mad. However, she did attempt to look about the room in hopes of finding the source of the voice.

"'Bout time!" the voice spoke again. "I was afraid I'd have to spend the rest of the day cooped up in here without a soul to talk to."

Hermione turned her head to the right. Her vision was still very distorted, but she could make out a person with ginger hair. "Ron?" she asked groggily.

"Nope. Someone much better."

She blinked a few times trying to regain focus. When the world was finally clear again, she looked back to owner of the voice. What she saw made her eyes widen to the size of saucers.

"F-Fred?" she asked timidly. The man just smirked at her. "I thought...I thought you--"

"Died," he finished for her. "Almost did, but you lot can't get rid of me that easily," he chuckled.

It was then that Hermione began to notice certain things about the room. For example: Fred seemed to be propped up in what looked to be a hospital bed, though it looked slightly different from the ones she was accustomed to in Muggle hospitals. She looked down, only to realize she was in a bed identical to his.

"Fred, where are we?"

"St. Mungos," he replied automatically. And, almost as if he knew what her next question would be, he said, "You were brought here because of how bad your physical condition is. If I remember correctly, the healers said that you had three broken bones, a dislocated shoulder, you're extremely exhausted, and on top of all that, you're really malnourished."

"They told you all that?" Hermione asked nervously.

"Well, not exactly," Fred said, looking away sheepishly. "I kind of just happened to overhear them when they were examining you."

_Why am I not surprised?_ She asked herself. "How long have I been unconscious?"

"About a day or two. Everyone was really worried. They were afraid you wouldn't wake up." A smirk broke out on his face before he continued, "But I told them that I'd annoy you awake in the end. As usual, I was right."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Y'know, if you hadn't almost died and I was feeling more like myself, I'd hex you right about now."

Fred just chuckled.

It was at that moment that the door burst open, waking several other patients in the room. A bunch of individuals with flaming hair came rushing into the room. They were accompanied by a dark-haired boy and a blonde woman.

"Oh, Hermione! Thank goodness you're awake," gushed Mrs. Weasley as she wrapped her arms around the girl.

"Guess Fred really did annoy her awake," said George winking at her as seated himself at the foot of his brother's bed.

Again, Hermione rolled her eyes.

Once released from Mrs. Weasley's grasp, Harry and Ron came forward, standing on either side of her.

Harry gave her a small smile before gently embracing her. "I'm really glad you're okay, Hermione," he whispered.

"And you, Harry? Are you alright?" She asked once he released her. He only nodded.

She then turned her attention to Ron. His eyes were rimmed with red as though he'd been crying. "Ron, are you--" she was cut off by him tightly embracing her.

"Don't you ever scare me like that again, Hermione Jean Granger," he scolded. She wrapped her arms around his middle in response. "I was afraid you wouldn't wake up," he whispered, before placing a kiss on her forehead.

"Uh-hum," said Fred, clearing his throat. "I hate to ruin this lovely moment, but I almost died two days ago. Some acknowledgement of my existence would be nice."

George chuckled, whereas Ron, upon releasing Hermione, turned to glare at his brother.

"Well, you continue making jokes at inappropriate times, so we all know your perfectly fine." Everybody laughed at this.

"Oh, what on Earth 'ave I married into?" asked Fleur, only half joking.

Smiling brightly, Hermione began to think about how fortunate she was.

Though they had lost many lives during the battle, the people who filled the room were still alive and well. This moment was a shining light in a tunnel of dark for her. Everything was going to be okay now.

At least, that's what she hoped.

**AN: So here's the first chapter. I always really like writing fanfiction, but always seem to get discouraged mid way. Let's hope that's not the case here. Let me know what you all think. Please, if there are ANY mistakes, let me know.**


	2. Laughing or Flirting

The second day of Hermione being awake allowed her to notice the other patients of the room. The majority of them had fought in the battle.

There were many individuals with rather minor injuries. Some of which could have been taken care of by Madam Pomfrey with no problem. Confused, she asked Fred about it.

"The Hospital Wing was so full of injured or dead people that they had to start sending people here."

She nodded, and then began taking in the appearance of Fred. She hadn't noticed how bad he had looked yesterday.

A large gash was present on his left eyebrow, no doubt that it would result into a scar. There were also several scrapes on his face as well. His right arm was in a sling. Hermione also happened to notice the several freshly healed, white scars that started at the base of his of his neck and disappeared into the collar of the loose, cotton shirt he was wearing. She looked up into his eyes.

Registering her expression, Fred gave her a soft smile. "Don't worry about me, Hermione. The worst is over now."

She sighed. "Perhaps you're right."

"'Course I'm right!" Fred smirked. "I'm always right."

She shook her head and rolled her eyes.

Hermione was released from St. Mungo's two days later. Fred, however, was released two weeks later.

**oOo**

Molly had insisted that Harry and Hermione stay at the Burrow for the time being. Her argument was that it was important that they were not alone for the next few weeks. The friends happily obliged.

One afternoon, Hermione and Ron were casually lounging on the sofa, Hermione with a book in her hands and Ron dozing softly in her lap, when Mrs. Weasley called for Ron to come help her degnome the garden.

Grumbling, he got up from his position on the sofa. "I'll be back," he told Hermione before pecking her on the cheek. She nodded up at him, smiling.

After his departure, someone else came stalking into the lounge room. Hermione looked up from her book to see that it was Fred.

"Hello, did you just get here?" she asked him warmly.

"Yeah. Mum demanded George and I come stay for the next few days," he said as he took a seat in one of the armchairs. "So, you and Ron, huh?" he said smirking, changing the subject.

Hermione blushed slightly. "Yes..." she said awkwardly.

"Always had an inkling you'd end up together," he said, his smirk fading into a faint smile.

Hermione quirked an eyebrow up at him. "Oh, is that so?"

"Definitely. Always knew Ickle Ronniekins fancied you." Hermione wrinkled her nose at the nickname. "Known since the Yule Ball."

Hermione was reminded of that event. How jealous Ron was of Viktor Krum. Thinking back on it now, it was almost silly.

"He was so thick back then," she said giggling.

Fred flashed her a cheeky grin. "Not much has changed if you ask me."

Hermione covered her mouth with her hand, trying to hold in her laughter, but it was all in vain. She laughed quite loudly, which in turn made Fred laugh.

Upon hearing the noise, another figure walked in. It was George.

"What's so funny?" he asked, eyebrows raised.

"Oh, nothing," Hermione said, recomposing herself. "Just something Fred said.

"Right," George said looking at his brother. "Speaking of which, could I talk to you for a moment, Freddie?"

"Sure." Fred got up from his chair, and walked towards George, winking at Hermione as he passed her.

Fred followed George up the stairs to their old room, a few of their belongs now placed haphazardly upon the beds. George ushered Fred inside before shutting the door behind him.

"What d'you think you're doing, Fred?" George questioned.

"Nothing! What's the harm in laughing?"

"You and I both know you were doing a lot more than laughing. Flirting with our brother's girlfriend, are you mad?!"

Fred scowled. "I wasn't flirting with Hermione."

"Oh my God, yes you were! I thought you were over this. I thought you were over her!"

"So what if I'm not over her? There's still a chance that her and Ron won't work out..."

"Freddie, you've been pining over the girl for over three years! If you wanted to be with her so bad, then why didn't you say something?"

Fred stared open-mouthed at his brother. Why hadn't he said anything? "I...I don't know."

"Well, it's too late now. She's with Ron. Just...just promise me something, will you?"

Fred looked up expectantly at George.

"Don't do anything stupid, okay?"

Fred sighed. "Sure thing, Georgie. What could she ever see in me anyways?"


	3. Dating?

Hermione was gazing at the girl reflected back at her in Ginny's vanity mirror. _I'm barely recognizable_, she thought to herself as she continued taking in her appearance. She wore a navy blue dress that came down just past her knees and had straps rather than sleeves. The fabric shimmered whenever she moved, making it look as though the dress was woven from the very night sky. Her makeup was simple--small amount of eyeliner, bit of mascara, and a dusting of blush on her cheeks--but it brought out the features of her face quite nicely.

Hermione's hair, however, was a different story. Her and Ginny had been fussing over it for nearly an hour, but their attempts of taming it were pointless.

"Gin, I think that's as good as it's going to get," Hermione spoke, grabbing Ginny's attention for moment. "It will have to do."

Ginny shook her head and went back applying hair potion to Hermione's head. "No, it has to look absolutely perfect for tonight," she retorted, furrowing her brow in concentration.

"That'll take at least another hour!" Hermione nearly shouted. "C'mon, Ron's waiting for me."

Sighing, Ginny placed the bottle on the vanity. "I s'pose you're right. Let's at least put it up, though." She quickly went to work pinning up Hermione's hair until it was in place. The end result was a somewhat messy, yet still classy bun.

"Oh, Ginny! It's perfect," Hermione exclaimed, beaming up at the other girl's reflection.

Ginny smiled back before exclaiming, "Now, get downstairs before Ron decides to come looking for you himself!" Hermione nodded and stood up from the vanity, making her way towards the bedroom door. "Wait! I want to see the look on his face when he sees you. I'll meet you downstairs. Count to one hundred before you come down."

And before Hermione could say anything, Ginny bolted out the door.

Hermione chuckled softly and shook her head as she heard Ginny's not-so-quiet footsteps descending down the stairs. Still smiling, she began to count.

_One...two...three..._

_Oh, what will Ron think when he sees me?_ Hermione began to think to herself. _What if he's not at all pleased with how I look?_

_Ten__...eleven...twelve...thirteen..._

_Perhaps this dress is bit much._ She began tugging down the hem of her dress and pulling up the bust of it. _God, it's hot in here._

_Twenty-two__...twenty-three...twenty-four..._

_Oh, I'm just being silly! _She began to fan herself with her hand. _There's nothing to ge all worked up over._

_Thirt__y...thirty-one...thirty-two...thirty-_

_Merlin! This is stupid! She's probably already down there by now._

Giving up on counting, Hermione resumed her journey to the bedroom door. She turned the knob and prepared to make her way downstairs. However, as she walked out the door and into the hallway, she slammed into something tall and solid.

"Oof!"

"I'm sorry!" she apologized looking up at the person she had ran into. "I didn't--" She froze as she realised who it was.

Fred didn't seem to have heard her attempted apology as he was too busy ogling her appearance. His eyes slowly traveled down the length of her body, before quickly reverting his gaze back to her eyes. Hermione felt her face warm as she noted how dark his eyes looked at that moment.

"Blimey, Hermione," he whispered, more so to himself than to her. "You look stunning."

"Er, thank you," she replied back in a small voice. She could feel her face growing even hotter.

"What's the occasion?" he asked her, smiling softly.

"Oh...um, Ron and I are, uh, going out tonight."

Fred's smile faded ever so slightly and his eyes were no longer dark, yet they didn't seem to hold their usual brightness either. No, they were the dullest Hermione had ever seen them, and it wasn't something she particularly liked to see in such a happy.

"Well, hope the pair of you have fun." He walked past her without saying another word before disappearing into his and George's room.

Hermione stayed rooted to the spot. She blinked several times trying to comprehend what had just happened. After a few seconds of doing this, she shook her head as though this would clear her mind. Trying to forget about what had just happened, Hermione began making her way down the steps.

As she approached the lounge room, several voices could be heard. Hermione realised that those voices were all conversing excitedly about her.

"Just wait till you see her, Ron," came Ginny's voice. "I daresay that you will be stunned speechless the moment you lay eyes on her."

"S'pose that'd be better than me rambling on like a nutter," Ron replied nervously.

Laughter filled Hermione's ears. She instantly recognized the owner of the said-laughter as Harry. It was such a wonderful sound to Hermione as it was always a rare occasion to hear him laugh. Though, since the war had ended, Harry laughed a lot more frequently.

"Ron, if you being a nutter was problem you would've scared Hermione off ages ago," George commented casually.

Hermione chose this moment to enter the lounge room. All conversation had died and all eyes were on her the moment she stepped in.

She scanned over the occupants in the room, taking in their expressions. Ginny and Harry were lounging on the sofa, both smiling at her brightly. George was seated in an overstuffed armchair. He was smiling too, but it didn't quite reached his eyes. Ignoring this, Hermione turned her gaze towards the redhead standing in the center of the room.

Ron was staring at her wide-eyed, his mouth hanging slightly open. He quickly closed it before swallowing thickly. "Hermione," he breathed out, "you look..." he could not seem to find the right words. Luckily, Hermione quickly jumped to his rescue.

"Thank you, Ronald," she said smiling. She took in the handsome, charcol suit he was wearing. "You look rather dashing, if I do say so myself." Ron's ears and cheeks turned a bright shade of pink.

He cleared his throat before speaking. "Shall we go then?" he asked, offering her his hand. She nodded before taking it.

"You kids have fun," George said getting up from his chair. "Better go see were Fred ran off to." He quickly made his way out of the room.

"Yes, have fun," said Harry smiling. The couple smiled back before disapperating with a crack.

**oOo**

Ron and Hermione arrived in front of the doorway of a restaurant called Moonbelle. It must have been a fairly new a place as Hermione had never heard of it before. As she peered inside she noticed several nicely dressed witches and wizards seated at a number of tables that were covered with very clean, white table clothes that had lace trimmings. All the waiters, who were dressed exquisitely as well, were levitating dishes of expensive delicacies.

Hermione glanced at Ron and began to worry. This was clearly a very expensive place and Hermione knew that the Weasleys, though the most lovely bunch of people you could ever meet, weren't the wealthiest. She didn't want to feel like he had to spend a lot of money to impress her.

"Ron," she began cautiously, "this place looks a bit costly. Are you sure you wouldn't rather go somewhere else?"

Ron frowned at her. "I already made reservations, and I'm perfectly capable of buying the two of us dinner at this bloody place if I want to," he said coldly.

"I didn't mean it like that, Ron," started Hermione as they walked inside. "I was just saying that--"

"Ah, Mr. Weasley I presume?" asked a handsomely dressed waiter with sandy hair, cutting Hermione off. Ron nodded in response. "Lovely. If the two would follow me this way, please." He led them to a table in one of the vacant corners of the restaurant. As they seated themselves, the waiter spoke again. "I'm Michael and I'll be your waiter tonight. What can I get the two of you to drink?"

"I'll have a glass of firewhiskey," Ron decided.

"Of course, Sir." Michael waved his wand, causing a glass of firewhiskey to appear in front of Ron. "And for you, Miss?"

"Oh, just water for me, thank you," Hermione said. With another wave of Michael's wand, a glass of water appeared before her.

"Alright, here's some menus," again he waved his wand and two menus appeared in front of of the couple. "Whenever you are ready, just give your wand a wave and say my name. I'll be there shortly to take your order." With that, Michael left them to look over the menus.

Hermione glanced over the meal choices, none of which really spoke to her. Everything seemed to swimming in some sort of rich, savory sauce, which was not really something she was in the mood for. After scanning the menu for a few moments longer, she finally decided to get the herb roasted chicken with a side of white asparagus cooked in white wine.

"Ready?" asked Ron, as his glass filled with firewhiskey automatically for the third time. Hermione only nodded.

Ron gave his wand a wave, mumbled the name 'Michael' and a moment later, their waiter appeared. "What can get you?" he asked.

Hermione ordered first, then Ron. She didn't pay attention to what he ordered as her mind was on other things. _This is going terribly_, she thought. She began fussing over the material of her dress so she would have something to do. It wasn't until after several moments of doing this that Ron spoke.

"Hermione." She looked up from her lap, waiting for him to continue. "About earlier, I shouldn't have snapped. It was...I was..." he closed his eyes sighing, clearly frustrated that he could not spit out the words.

"It's okay, Ron. You don't have to explain yourself," Hermione reassured, smiling. "I forgive you."

Ron smiled back at her reaching for her hand, which she happily accepted. It was at this moment that their dinner arrived.

As they ate, they reverted back into silence. Their sole focus was their food. Hermione, although, had to admit that she was not all that impressed. Her chicken was rather dry and her asparagus wasn't so much as cooked in wine as soaked in it. However, she kept her mouth shut and acted as though it was absolutely devine.

Once finished with their meal, Ron payed, making sure Hermione did not see the check. They then clasped hands and disapperated to the Burrow.

The house was completely dark. Hermione assumed that everyone must have retired for the night. She wanted nothing more than to do the same.

"I think I'm ready to call it a night," she said, turning to Ron.

He nodded. "I'll walk you to your room." He took her hand and led her up the stairs. They walked down the hallway before stopping in front of Hermione's and Ginny's shared bedroom.

Ron leaned into her. Hermione closed her eyes, knowing what was coming. The two of them locked lips and Ron's hand came up to cup her face.

It was the first time they had kissed since the Battle. At that time, adrenaline had been high and their kiss had been a spur of the moment thing.

Now, this kiss was not _quite_ as exciting. Hermione felt slightly uncomfortable, actually. If she was being completely honest, kissing Ron felt like how she would imagine kissing Harry to be like. Like kissing her brother.

Finally, they broke apart. Ron smiled at her and stroked her cheek with his thumb. "I had a really nice time, Hermione."

She only smiled, unable to verbally lie to him. "Good night, Ron," she said before slipping into the bedroom and shutting the door behind her.

"So, how'd it go?" came an excited voice from behind her.

Hermione turned, her eyes landing on the redheaded girl sitting cross-legged on one of the beds. Hermione sighed, "Honestly, Ginny, it went quite awfully."

She quickly explained the events of the night to Ginny. When she was finished, both girls were quiet for a moment.

"Well," began Ginny, "I guess it would make sense why it was like kissing your brother."

Hermione furrowed her brow in confusion. Ginny rolled her eyes. "Honestly, Hermione. Think about it! Almost everyday since you were eleven, you've spent just about every waking moment with Ron and Harry. That's what it's like having siblings. They're even there when you don't want them to be."

Hermione took these words into consideration. Ginny was right. She did spend the majority of the time with the two boys, therefore, they developed a very strong bond. The three of them where siblings in every way but blood.

Hermione shifted her gaze back to Ginny. "What should I do?" she whispered.

"That's something you need to figure out on your own," Ginny said, bringing the conversation to close. "Get some sleep and then worry about it tomorrow."

Hermione nodded. She quickly changed into a pair of pajamas and snuggled into the bed opposite Ginny's. She silently casted a spell that caused the lights to turn off, then she let sleep consume her.


	4. Nightmares

Fred's POV

Fred was sprawled on his bed, staring at the ceiling. He just could not bring himself to go and join the others, only to watch the girl he had been so in love with for what seemed like ages, go out with some other bloke. So, naturally, he opted for sulking in his room.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. Fred was about to tell whoever it was to go away, when the door creaked open. As Fred's eyes adjusted to the light spilling in from the hallway, he was able to make out the dark figure of George.

Sighing, Fred turned over on his side in an attempt to avoid making conversation with his brother. He really was not in the mood to be lectured at the moment.

"You all right, Freddie?" George asked quietly.

Fred made no move to look at him. "I'm brilliant," he replied sarcastically. "Just bloody brilliant."

George sighed and made his way to his own bed. He sat down rather hard, causing the springs to screech. "I know it's hard, Fred, but there's nothing you can do about it."

"You don't think I know that?!" Fred was now sitting up right and staring at George. "I know she chose Ron. I know that there's no chance in hell that she would ever want to be with someone like me. I know that!"

"Now, I didn't say that."

"No, I did. I said it because it's true." Fred sunk back upon the bed and turned again to his side, his back to George.

"I promise things will get better. It'll get easier," George reassured.

Fred was quiet for a moment before he spoke. "Yeah. Maybe you're right, Georgie."

The room was silent for a while, until Fred heard the soft snores of George in the bed opposite his. The slow, rhythmic sound of breathing slowly lulled Fred into his own calming sleep.

**oOo**

Hermione's POV

_Bellatrix was looming over Hermione. Her deep set, heavily lidded eyes spoke volumes of disgust and hatred. She held a long, silver dagger in her hand, the tip barely piercing the skin at the base of Hermione's neck._

_"Now, listen hear you filthy Mudblood," Bellatrix spat. "You're gonna cooperate and be a good little girl, or..." She buried the blade slightly deeper into Hermione's skin, which caused the girl to whimper out in pain.__"Good. Now, what else did you and your little friends take from my vault?"_

_Hermione choked back tears as she spoke, "We d-didn't t-take anything." It was a lie, but Hermione was _not _about to sell her and the boys out._

_"_Liar_," Bellatrix hissed. "I'll give you one more chance to fess up. If you don't tell me the truth, then... Well, you'll just have to find out what happens." She smiled wickedly. "WHAT ELSE DID YOU TAKE?!" she yelled in Hermione's face._ _Hermione did not answer.__"Have it your way, then, Mudblood."_

_Hermione was prepared to have the dagger cut and pierce her skin. She would not scream. She would _not_.__However, before Hermione could fully understand what was happening, she saw Bellatrix cast the dagger aside and draw out her wand. She pointed it directly at Hermione and shouted, _"Crucio!"

_Pain erupted within Hermione's body. She couldn't help the blood-curdling screams that escaped her lips. She was also shaking violently._

"Hermione!" _came a voice, which she didn't recognize as being Ron's or Harry's. _"Hermione, please wake up!" _the voice pleaded, as she continued to scream._

_Suddenly she felt something wet land on her face, pulling her out of her dream._

**oOo**

Hermione sat up quickly in her bed. She was soaked with water, and not just because she was crying. Someone must have used _Auguamenti _on her in attempt to wake her up. She heard someone mumble a spell, which caused her to become dry. She looked up trying to see who had done it, but the tears in her eyes made everything blurry. She could only make out four figures.

"It's okay, Hermione," came a voice she recognized as Harry's.

"Yeah, you're safe now," came a voice that she could not seem to identify. She was aware, however, that the owner had kneeled on the floor beside her bed and had taken her small hand in their own, larger one. Hermione held on to it tightly, thankful for the source of comfort.

"What happened?" a voice she recognized as Ginny's asked.

Hermione took several deep breaths, trying to calm her erratically beating heart. She began wiping away the tears with her free hand.

The person who was holding her hand rubbed their thumb in circular patterns across the back of it. This comfort allowed Hermione to let out a few words. "Malfoy Manor... Bellatrix, she... I..." she broke down in tears again.

The person at her side dropped her hand, only to rise from their spot on the floor in order to sit next to her. Hermione felt strong arms engulf her. She buried her face in the unknown person's chest and wept, not caring what everyone thought at that moment.

She cried for what felt like ages to her. Every tear that escaped her eyes was like relieving herself of a burden. She cried until she was unable to cry anymore. All the while, the person holding her rubbed their calloused hands along her arms and back in a comforting motion; they kept whispering to her that everything would be okay and that she was safe.

At first, she thought this person was Harry. However, she quickly deducted that it in fact was not. This person's voice was deeper than Harry's and they were not nearly as thin as him either. Then she thought that maybe it was Ron. Again, she was wrong. Ron was much more gangly and this person's scent was also different than his. Ron always seemed to smelled of smoke and cinnamon, whereas this person smelled of rain and cloves.

Hermione chanced a look at the owner of the arms she was so tightly embraced in, and was met with warm, brown eyes that were filled with worry. It took her several moments to figure out who was holding her as she found herself getting lost in those eyes. Eyes that belonged to none other than Fred Weasley.

Hermione quickly drew back from him, now embarrassed that she had let him see her cry and make a fool of herself. "S-Sorry, Fred," she said, sniffing slightly.

"S'all right," he replied slipping off the bed and returning to his previous spot on the floor.

Hermione wiped at her eyes in attempt to rid them of their blurriness. Once they were clear, she looked around at the other occupants in the room. She had been right about Harry being in their, and obviously Ginny was there. They were roommates after all. And of course, wherever there was Fred, there was almost always George.

The four of them looked at Hermione expectantly. They waited only a few seconds before she spoke. "Sorry I woke the lot of you up."

"No need to apologize."

"It's no big deal."

"I wasn't even asleep anyways."

The four of them chorused all at once. Hermione nodded, only half listening to their reassurances.

"Did I wake anyone else?" she asked quietly.

"Nah," George began, "Fred and I came running out and placed an Imperturbable Charm on the door the moment we heard you screaming. Lucky our room's right next door, eh?"

_Very lucky_, Hermione thought. She didn't think she'd be able to explain herself to the entire household without breaking down several more times than what she had while explaining to the four of them.

"Well, now that we've sorted this all out," started Harry, "we should all go back to bed. Hermione needs to rest, as do the rest of us."

Hermione's gaze shot up towards Harry. He had said just a few minutes ago that he had not been asleep, which would explain why he had heard her. The bags under his eyes were also a dead giveaway to his lack of sleep. "That means that you get some sleep too, Harry."

Harry smiled at her. Even when she was shaken up, she was still her usual bossy self.

The three young men rose to their feet and let a chorus of 'good nights' that Hermione halfheartedly returned before leaving the room. George removed the charm placed on the girls' door as he went.

Hermione and Ginny sat quietly in the room, neither attempting to fall asleep.

A few moments passed. Hermione had to admit that she was awfully exhausted, but she was too afraid to fall back into that torturous dream. She was not sure what she would do if forced through that torture again. Then, suddenly, she had an idea.

"Hey, Gin," she asked hesitantly, "you wouldn't happen to have a potion for a dreamless sleep lying about, would you?"

"As a matter of fact, I do." Ginny got out of her bed and walked over to her vanity. Hermione could hear a drawer open and then shut. Ginny then padded over towards her and handed her a vial that was cool to the touch. "Here you are. Lucky for you, I still had one left."

Hermione furrowed her brow in confusion. Why would Ginny need to take a potion like this? Deciding that that was Ginny's business and not hers, Hermione shook her head and downed the contents of the vial. "Thanks, Gin," she said, handing the other girl the now empty vial."

"Don't mention it," Ginny replied as she made the empty vial vanish with a flourish of her wand. "Just get some sleep, Hermione."

Hermione nodded and turned over on her side. She focused on her breathing, willing herself to fall asleep. Thankfully, it wasn't long before a peaceful sleep washed over her.

**AN: Okay here's another chapter. I hope you all like it. Oh, and before you start going off about how Fred's eyes are blue, they're not. They're brown. Look it up! Any who, please leave a review and let me know what you think. Thanks ****:)**


	5. Just Friends

A week had passed since Hermione had woken Fred, George, Harry, and Ginny with her nitghmare-induced screams. Afraid of what would happen if she were to allow herself to fall back into her nightmares, Hermione had spent all the next morning brewing herself a two week's worth supply of Potion For a Dreamless Sleep. It took all day to brew the large quantity of potion; she ignored the worried looks of the others as she did so.

Thankfully, the members of the Weasley family who were only staying briefly, had all returned back to their own homes, meaning that there were less people Hermione had to worry about waking up in the middle of the night. However, that did not stop her from continuing to take the potion every night.

Now she had a week's worth left. She knew she would soon have to go out and collect more ingredients in order to be able to brew another batch of the potion. However, Hermione had barely left the Burrow since arriving there, and, if she was being honest, she was afraid to leave the house alone.

Deciding she would ask Harry to accompany her, she left left her's and Ginny's room (having spent the majority of her time there since the 'incident') and walked down the hall to Ron's and Harry's shared room. She knocked timidly on the door before hearing a voice telling her she could come in. She opened the door to reveal her two best friends lounging on the floor playing Wizard's Chess.

"Hi, Hermione," said Harry cheerfully.

Ron turned to look in her direction. A smile spred across his face when he saw her. "Whatcha doing, love?" he asked kindly.

"I was just wondering if Harry wanted to come with to Diagon Alley, seeing as the both of us are a bit short on a number of things," Hermione replied, coming up with an excuse quickly.

It wasn't a complete lie. Both her and Harry were lacking several needed items. The year they had spent on the run was a time when they had to learn to go without certain luxuries. They each had less than a week's worth of clothing and they both needed new shoes, as they were extremely worn out.

"Oh," replied Ron. "Well, I can come with you if you'd like." A look of glumness was slightly present on his face.

Hermione tried to keep from laughing. She knew Ron despised shopping, but she thought it very sweet of him for offering to come along.

Of course, he was still completely oblivious of her recent episode, and it would surely look suspicious to him if he saw her buying specific potion ingredients. Therefore, Hermione decided to play it off as though she were sparing him the torment of accompanying Harry and her shopping. "Oh, that's all right, Ronald. Harry and I will be just fine," she said, flashing him a genuine smile.

"Thank Merlin!" Ron exclaimed in relief. He maneuvered his gaze in Harry's direction. "We'll finish our game later, then?"

Harry nodded as he rose from his spot on the floor. He plucked up a jacket from his bed and slipped it on before making his way towards Hermione. The two clasped hands and gave Ron a cheery wave before disapparating to Diagon Alley.

**oOo**

Hermione shut her eyes tightly as she felt herself being jerked. Once the uncomfortable sensation was over, she opened her eyes and was relieved to find herself standing in front of Slug and Jiggers Apothecary. She took a step forward, but was unable to move as she was being held back by Harry, whom was still clasping her hand. He furrowed his brow and fixed her with a questioning look.

"I thought you said we were going shopping for clothes and stuff?" he asked her, confused.

"And we will," Hermione replied. "I promise that we won't be here long. The minute we're done, we'll go straight to Madam Malkin's."

Harry only nodded. They let go of each other's hands and made their way inside.

Hermione drew out a list from her pocket with the following heading at the top: Ingredients for Dreamless Sleep Potion. She was completely unaware of Harry reading the list over her shoulder. Before she could comprehend what was going on, he snatched it from her hands.

"Harry Potter, you give that back this instant!" she yelled at him, causing several heads to turn in their direction at the mention of Harry.

"Hermione," Harry began, speaking much quieter than what she had moments before, "you can't just keep drinking this stuff every night."

"Mind your own business," she hissed.

"They're just dreams, Hermione. They can't hurt you. I know it's easier to say that than it is to believe it, but it's true."

Hermione's lip began to quiver as she felt hot tears begin to sting her eyes. _God, not here,_ she thought. _I can't be having a nervous breakdownhere. Oh, I should have just stayed home! _The tears were now flowing freely from her eyes and her breathing had become ragged.

"I can't, Harry. I-I can't," she gasped out between sobs. "It's... It's like reliving the whole thing again and...and again. I can't do it!"

She was crying so hard now that it was becoming very difficult for her to breathe properly. It was beginning to scare Harry. He knew he had to get her out of there; however, she was in no condition to apparate. He took her hand and led her out of the store. They walked down the cobbled streets until they reached a familiar store. Harry led Hermione inside and they were quickly greeted by Fred Weasley.

"Harry! What can I do for you, mate?" he asked cheerfully. Before Harry could answer, Fred's gaze shifted over to a blubbering Hermione. His entire demeanor changed instantly from cheery to worried. "Blimey, Hermione! What's wrong?"

She was unable to answer due to her continuous hysterical sobbing, so Harry answered for her. "She's having a bit of a rough day," he said, looping an arm around her shoulders as an attempted source of comfort. "D'you mind if we wait in the back room until she calms down enough for me to apparate her home?"

"Not at all," Fred replied instantly. "I'll just let George, Lee, and Varity know you're back there so they won't disturb you." He looked down at Hermione, frowning slightly. "Hope you feel better soon, Mione. See the two of you around."

Harry nodded his thanks. He led Hermione to the back, leaving Fred to tend the shop.

Upon entering the back room of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, Harry helped Hermione sit on a worn sofa that was against one of the walls. He sat next to her and enveloped her in a hug.

All he did for several minutes was hold her and let her cry. Every now and then, he would remind her that she needed to breathe, and he would inhale and exhale by means of guiding her through it.

Even after Hermione had stopped crying, Harry and her still sat silently with each other's arms wrapped around one another. They sat this way for several minutes, neither seemed to want to break the silence.

Hermione's head hurt from crying so hard and she was rather tired. She wanted nothing more than to take a nap, but was afraid to do so at the same time. She was afraid that if she were to fall asleep, she would once again be trapped in Malfoy Manor where she would be tortured mercilessly by Bellatrix. So, she forced herself to keep her eyes open. Thankfully, Harry chose this moment to speak. A bit of conversation would be the perfect distraction to her drowsiness.

"Hermione," Harry began, drawing back from her embrace. "What else is wrong?"

She was about to play it off that he was mistaking. That there was nothing else wrong, but he would surely be able to see right through that. Harry Potter might be oblivious about several things, but not when it came to his friends' well being. She sighed. "Everything, Harry. Everything just seems to be wrong nowadays."

"Care to elaborate?"

"Just look at me. I'm terrified of my own memories. How silly does that sound?! And that's not even the worst bit. I'm even scared to leave the house by myself." She paused. She was waiting for some sort of reaction from Harry, but he did nothing. She continued. "It's like I'm afraid of my own shadow. Merlin! I'm even afraid to break up with Ron." At these words, Harry raised an eyebrow.

"You want to break up with Ron?" he asked, surprised. She nodded. "Wait," he said grinning slightly. "You, Hermione Granger, want to break up with Ron Weasley, the boy you've been pining for since, like, third year?"

"It's not funny, Harry," she scolded. "I don't want to hurt him, but I see him more as a brother. I wish I had realized it sooner. That would have saved us both the heartache."

"Y'know," Harry started thoughtfully, "I think he feels the same way. I think it's just that everyone expected you two to end up together that you both felt like you owed it to them to make an effort."

Hermione's eyes widened at those words. Never had she heard something so wise leave her best friend's mouth. "You really are all grown up, Harry," she said smiling at him.

He smiled back at her. "Well, are you ready to go home?" he asked her.

"What about our new clothes?"

"We'll worry about it some other day. Let's just get you home."

"Okay, but I want to say good-bye to Fred first."

"Yeah, he looked really worried about you earlier."

Hermione felt herself blush. She wasn't quite sure why that was, but she quickly brushed it off. "I'll be right back," she told Harry as she made her way out of the back room.

She looked around the shop frantically. It was not nearly as busy as it was when she and Harry had first arrived, but there was still a decent amount of people. Finally, her eyes landed on Fred, who appeared to have just finished putting up a display. Even from this distance she could tell it was him (she prided herself for being one of the few people who could always tell the Weasley twins apart).

"Fred," she called, running up to him.

He looked over in her direction and smiled when he saw her. "Feeling better, are we?"

"Much," she said, returning his smile. "I just wanted to say thanks."

"Oh, it was nothing," he said sheepishly.

"Well, it meant a lot to me," she told him, and before he could reply, she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. "Thanks for everything, Fred," she whispered. Before she herself could even register what she was doing, she placed a kiss upon his cheek before releasing him of her embrace. "Bye." She then made her way back to Harry.

She had not noticed, but Fred had turned a startling shade of scarlet. He brought a hand up and touched his cheek where she had kissed him. "Bye, Mione," he whispered after her.

* * *

**AN: Okay so here's yet another chapter. I've decided to write Hermione as someone who is experiencing PTSD. I never had personal experience with that, so I apologize if it isn't accurately portrayed. Any who, I don't own Harry Potter (unfortunately). The only thing I own is the story line. Please leave a review and let me know what you think.**


	6. The Breakup

Hermione took a deep breath before knocking on the door to Ron's bedroom. Today was the day. The day that she would finally tell him how she _really _felt about him.

Gathering up whatever courage she had, she knocked on the door's smooth, wooden surface and waited. It was not long before someone answered the door; however, the person was not Ron. It was Harry. His hair was more unruly than it usually was and his eyes were puffy from sleep.

"Sorry, Harry," Hermione started. "I didn't realize you were still asleep."

He quickly brushed off her apology. "It's no big deal," he said, stifling a yawn. "Needed to get up anyways."

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him. It seemed that Harry was getting less and less sleep everyday. She had lost count of the number of times that he had fallen asleep in the middle of doing something. In fact, he had nearly crashed on his broomstick the other day as he had fallen asleep during a game of Quidditch in the Weasley's back garden. It was beginning to worry Hermione.

"Harry, why haven't you been sleeping?"

"Oh, you know?" he asked, trying to hide his surprise. "Always been a bit of a night-owl. Just can't seem to get my mind to relax," he laughed dryly.

It was a lie, and Hermione knew it. She was always able to tell when he was lying. Especially when it was about how he was feeling. "You want to try that again?" she asked him, raising an eyebrow up at him. He opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, she added, "No cock and bull excuse this time."

He sighed. "Well, I guess I'm a bit of a hypocrite," he told her, looking down at his feet.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

His green eyes shot up and met her brown ones. Hermione was surprised to see the vulnerability in his eyes. And, she was surprised to see a sort of fear flash through them.

"I'm afraid of my nightmares too, Hermione," he told her quietly.

"Oh, Harry," she whispered, placing a comforting hand on his arm. "Why haven't you told anyone?"

"Because... because I know they're not real." His eyes suddenly had a far away look about them. "For once in my life, I know they're just dreams. I don't wake up with my scar burning or a splitting headache. Yeah, I'm a bit shaken up by them and it's awful reliving those memories, but that's all they are: bad memories."

Hermione just stared at him. Her heart had swollen with so much admiration and empathy that it had caused her to fall speechless.

Admiration because of how wise Harry had grown to be. He had spent a good majority of his life fearing his nightmares, not because they were terrifying, but because they were real. They were Voldemort's thoughts and feelings. But, now that he was gone, Harry was able to decipher reality from illusion.

Empathy because she knew that despite knowing the nightmares were in fact fiction, they were no less horrific.

"It'll it get better, Hermione," Harry told her, breaking the silence that had fallen between them. "For all of us." He smiled softly at her. A smile that she happily returned.

"Anyways," began Harry, changing the subject. "What did you need?"

Hermione drew back her hand from his arm. "I was looking for Ron. Have you seen him?"

"I think he's helping Fred and George with the shop repairs."

At the mention of Fred's name, Hermione felt a blush creep up onto her cheeks. She was remembering how she had kissed him on the cheek the other day. It was completely unlike her. She had only every displayed such acts of affection with Harry and Ron, who were like her brothers. Yes, Fred and her were good friends, but they had never been real close. She had no idea what possessed her to do such a thing.

"Hermione?" Harry questioned, breaking her from her thoughts.

She cleared her throat before speaking. "Did he say when he would be back?"

Harry shook his head. He seemed to be completely oblivious to the scarlet coloring that burned Hermione's cheeks, which she was grateful for.

"Alright, then. I'll just read in my room till he gets back," she decided, turning to leave.

"Or, you could spend the day with Ginny and I," Harry suggested, grabbing her attention. "We were going to do some shopping for Molly."

It wasn't long after the war that Mrs. Weasley had told Harry and Hermione to start calling her Molly. "The two of you are family, and family doesn't call one another by their surnames," she had told them. It had taken them a while to become accustomed to calling her by her first name, and every now and then, they would fall back into the old habit of calling her Mrs. Weasley. However, it was becoming more natural to say 'Molly'. They had even been asked to call Mr. Weasley Arthur as well.

"I don't want to intrude," Hermione told Harry. "You and Ginny should spend the day together with just the two of you."

"Don't be silly, Hermione. Ginny would love to have you join us. In fact, she was the one who suggested that I invite you."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. Her and I agreed that it would be good for you to get out of the house more." His gaze soften as he spoke the next few words, "You can't stay inside forever, Mione."

Hermione thought this over for a second. Harry and Ginny were right. She did need to get out of the house more. This fear of leaving the house, especially alone, needed to be faced. She figured that this particular outing could be another stepping stone leading up to being able to leave the Burrow by herself.

"Alright, I'll go," she agreed. "Let me just get some things from my room and I'll meet you and Ginny downstairs." Harry nodded, then, she went to her room.

She pulled on a blue jumper that was folded neatly on her bed, then she put on a pair of tennis shoes. Making her way to the cupboard in the room, she pulled out a black traveling cloak and slipped it on over her shoulders and placed her wand in one of the inside pockets.

When she arrived downstairs, Harry and Ginny were waiting for her. They both we wearing cloaks similar to hers.

"Ready?" Ginny asked.

Harry and Hermione nodded in unison.

The three of them then joined hands and apparated to Diagon Alley.

Once the uncomfortable, jerky sensation was over and the world was once again in focus, Ginny pulled out a long shopping list from her pocket. She read over it for a few seconds before speaking. "Alright, the first thing Mum needs is a new cauldron, so off to Potage's Cauldron Shop we go!" she said rather enthusiastically, grabbing Harry's hand and linking arms with Hermione, ushering them inside one of the shops.

Potage's Cauldron Shop was just how Hermione had remembered it from her first trip to Diagon Alley. Shelves were lined with cauldron of various sizes and metals. Brass, copper, pewter, gold, and silver glimmered and shined all around her. The shop's distinct smell of smoke and polish filled her nostrils as she made her way about the place.

"Okay, Mum says she wants a medium sized cauldron, preferably pewter, that self-stirs," Ginny told Harry and Hermione. "I think the three of us should split up and look for one that'll satisfy her."

They all agreed, splitting up and going off in different directions. The search for the ideal cauldron frustrated Hermione as there seemed to be no specific order to the set up of the cauldrons. They were just placed at random about the shop. It felt like hours before Ginny finally found a suitable cauldron.

The next few items on the list were found rather quickly compared to the cauldron search. They went from shop to shop, finding what they needed in a matter of minutes. Finally, after about an hour and a half later, everything had been checked off the list.

"Fancy an ice cream?" Harry asked the girls, who quickly nodded their answer.

"That sounds lovely, Harry," said Ginny. "Afterwards, we can go and pay a visit to the boys down at the shop." Both Harry and Hermione knew that she was talking about Fred, George, and Ron. Hermione managed to not blush this time, as she was thinking that this would be good time to tell Ron that she needed to talk to him about their relationship.

Harry, Hermione, and Ginny made their way to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour. They sat at table just large enough for the three of them and ordered their ice creams. Harry ordered chocolate, Ginny ordered butterscotch, and Hermione ordered coconut. The three ate their ice cream whilst engaging in a bit of light conversation.

When their ice cream had been finished, the three of them walked down to Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. As they walked inside, they could not help but notice how quiet it seemed to be today. About ten people, including themselves, were in the shop. The lack of customer made it quite easy for the three of them to be spotted by George.

"Well, if it isn't three of my most favorite people," he said walking up to them. "How can I help you lot?"

"We were in the area and decided to say hi," said Harry, shaking George's hand.

"Fred and Ron are around her somewhere. I'll go tell them you're here." George walked off in the other direction in search for his brothers. Harry, Ginny, and Hermione took this as an opportunity to look around the shop.

Harry and Ginny went off in the other direction while Hermione looked at the daydream charms. She was suddenly reminded of her first visit to the shop. Just like this time, she had been looking at the daydream charms and talking about what a wonderful bit of magic they were. Fred, who had enjoyed the praise as he usually heard scolding from her, had told her that she could have one for free. She smiled at the memory.

"BOO!" a voice from behind her shouted.

She screamed, and before she could stop herself, she whipped out her concealed wand, spun around, and pointed it directly at the face of the person who had snuck up on her. Her eyes widened when she realized who it was.

Fred stared back at her, eyes as wide as hers. His hands were raised at eye-level in surrender.

She lowered her wand shakily. "I'm...I'm sorry," she stuttered. "I'm sorry." Her breathing was now ragged.

"No, no, I'm sorry," Fred started. "I shouldn't have snuck up on you."

"I could have killed you," she whispered, not looking at him.

He placed his hands hesitantly on her shoulders. This time, she did not fluch away from him. "Hermione, look at me." She did so, slowly. "I'm okay, really. I'm fine."

She only nodded. Still, she shook and breathed heavily, so Fred enveloped her into a hug as an attempt to calm her down.

They stood in that position for several minutes. Hermione clung to him as though she would fall if she let go, and Fred rested his cheek on her head, which she had buried in his chest. He didn't dare let go of her until she stopped shaking and her breathing was even.

"Are you okay?" he asked once they had released their hold on one another.

She only nodded up at him.

"Well, I think the others are upstairs. Guess we better go join them before they come looking for us themselves."

Again, she nodded before Fred and her made their way up the shop's stairs. Almost as soon as they reached the top floor, they were met by the others, whom seemed to have been almost completely oblivious to their absence... Almost.

"There you two are!" George exclaimed, walking up to them. "I was about to send a search party."

"Pity," replied Fred. "It would have been such fun sending them red-herrings about our whereabouts."

The two of them shared a laugh. Even Ginny and Ron had joined in on the laughter. However, the laughter was short lived by Harry's interruption.

"Are you all right, Hermione?" he asked her, looking slightly worried.

She looked up at the group, who now had all their eyes fixed on her. "Oh, I'm fine," she told them, forcing a smile onto her face. "Actually, I was wondering if I could talk to Ron for a minute," her gaze shifted over to Ron as she said this. _It's better if I just get this over with._

Nodding, he said, "Alright. Would it be okay if we used the backroom?" These last few words were directed in Fred and George's direction.

"Yeah," they said together.

"Just keep off the furniture," said George, giving them a suggestive smirk.

Hermione felt herself turn red, and she noticed Ron's ears had done the same. "GEORGE!" she scolded, but all he did was laugh at her. She shook her head before following Ron back down the stairs and to the backroom.

Ron opened the door for her and she thanked him as she walked into the room. She took a seat on the sofa and he soon joined her there.

"So, what is it you want to talk about?" he asked her.

Hermione was silent for a moment. She was trying to come with the right words to say to him. Honestly, she didn't want to hurt his feelings, but she was not sure how to go about it without doing so.

Taking a deep breath, she finally spoke, "Ron, you know I care about you, right?" He furrowed his brow in confusion, but he nodded. "And, you know I would never do anything to intentionally hurt you?" Again, he nodded.

She once again fell silent, not sure where to go from there. _God, this was so much easier in my head! _

"Hermione, what's wrong?" Ron asked, beginning to worry.

She took another deep breath. "Ron, I don't think...I don't think this is going to work."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I don't think that this thing we have going on between us is working. I love you, Ron. I do, but I'm not _in _love with you. I love you the way I love Harry. Like a brother."

Ron sat quietly for a moment, looking down at his feet. The silence and uneasiness was so thick in the room, that Hermione was almost certain that it could have been cut with a knife.

Finally, after several minutes, Ron spoke. "Okay, then. Let's end this."

"Don't be upset, Ron," said Hermione, who had noticed the hurt in Ron's expression. "I'm sorry!"

"You're sorry?" he asked, venom coloring his tone. "I love you, and you don't even feel the same way. Do you know how stupid that makes me feel?!"

"I know, Ron. I know," Hermione said, tears now sliding down her cheeks. "I wish-"

"You wish what, Hermione?" his voice was now very cold and it shook with anger. "God, I should have known!"

"Known what?" her own voice was shaking now. Not from anger, but from the attempt at holding back her sobs.

"I should have known that I'd never be good enough for you. That there would always be someone that you would choose over me in a heartbeat! I should have bloody known!"

"Ron, th-that's not what I m-meant at all!"

"Save it, Hermione! I don't want to hear it anymore." He rose up from his spot on the sofa and walked to the door. Before he walked out, he said, "I hate you. Don't even bother trying to talk to me when I get home because I never want to hear what you have to say ever again!" With that, he walked out the door, slamming it behind him.

Hermione now let the tears flow freely from her eyes. In her mind, she had just ruined whatever friendship she had with Ron. She could never take back the things she said because they were all true, and no can take back things that are true. No one can take back feelings. So, she cried. She cried until she was unable to cry anymore.

Once she had finished, she walked out the backroom, and began her search for Ginny and Harry.

It wasn't long before she found them. They were chatting with Fred and George about some new products she was sure. She walked up to the group, who turned their heads in her direction upon her arrival.

"Are you ready to go, Hermione?" asked Harry, who could tell that she was upset about something.

"Yes, but if the two of you want to stay, I can just apparate home by myself."

"Nonsense," said Ginny. "Harry and I were just about to say good-bye anyways."

She hugged Fred and George tightly. After she was done saying her farewells to them she asked where Ron was.

"I think he said something about needing some air," Fred told her.

"But, he told us to tell you and Harry good-bye," said George.

Both Harry and Ginny nodded their understanding, whereas Hermione did nothing. She knew she was the cause of his absence, which she felt rather guilty about.

Harry shook hands with Fred and George, saying farewell. Hermione was about ready to join hands with Ginny and Harry in preparation to leave, when George interrupted her.

"Now, now, Miss Granger," he said, smirking. "It's very rude to leave without giving Fred and me a good-bye hug." He spread his arms out, waiting for her to come and hug him. She rolled her eyes and gave him a quick hug. "See, that wasn't so bad," he laughed out and she rolled her eyes again.

She then walked over to Fred. She smiled at him softly before giving him a hug, which he happily returned.

"Thanks again, Fred," she whispered in his ear before pulling back.

He smiled down at her. "No problem," he whispered back.

Hermione then joined hands with Harry and Ginny. The three of them gave Fred and George one last wave before apparating back to the Burrow.

Once again, the uneasiness of apparation filled Hermione's senses as the world moved passed her in a blur.

Upon arriving in the front garden of the Burrow, Hermione unclasped Harry and Ginny's hands, and made her way inside the house without saying a word to anyone. She walked up the staircase and immediately went to her room. She flopped herself onto her bed and stared up the ceiling.

She lied in that position for several minutes before there was a knock on the door. Before Hermione could answer, Ginny walked in and sat at the foot of Hermione's bed.

"What happened?" she asked.

Hermione couldn't bring herself to look at Ginny as she spoke. "I broke up with Ron."

She told Ginny about the whole conversation that she had had with Ron. How he told her that he hated her and that he never wanted to speak to her again. She was surprised to find that no tears were shed during her tale. _Well, I've cried over Ronald Weasley enough to last me a life time already,_ she thought to herself.

"At least you don't have to pretend anymore, Hermione," Ginny said.

Hermione said nothing.

"Look, it would have been cruel to continue with the relationship. Yes, he loves you, but you don't love him. You both deserve to be with someone you love, and that someone should love you back. He'll see that and come around eventually."

Hermione nodded. "Perhaps you're right."

"'Course I'm right! Now, why don't you put your cloak away, and you and I can go help Mum with supper?"

* * *

**AN: So far this has been my favorite chapter to write. It did take me forever because my computer kept deleting all the stuff I had written, which was extremely frustrating! Anyways, I obviously don't Harry Potter. If I did, Fred would have lived and Fremione would have been canon. Please leave a review as I love reading them. Also, thank you to those who support this story. Much love and appreciation is sent your way.**


	7. He's Got You High

The next few days at the Burrow proved to be awkward and uncomfortable for everyone. Every time Hermione happened to enter the same room that Ron was in, he would make a big show of how upset he was with her by storming out of the room. Occasionally, he would knock over objects forcefully. It even went as far as him not joining the rest of them during dinner. "My appetite disappears the moment I happen to lay eyes on her," he told them sourly.

To Hermione's surprise, no one seemed to blame her for Ron's bitterness. In fact, they treated her as they always had. "Don't take it too much to heart, dear," Molly had reassured her. "He's been this ways since he was a boy. Always throwing a tantrum when he doesn't get his way. He'll come 'round eventually."

Poor Harry, on the other hand, was in just about the same boat as Hermione. Ron was upset with him for taking Hermione's side in the matter. "She broke up with me, Harry!" he had practically shouted. "How can you take her side?"

"I'm not taking sides, Ron," Harry had tried to explain. "All I'm saying is that Hermione did what she thought was best. If we're going to be honest with ourselves, you're not in love with her either. Not really. I mean, would you rather you both pretend to be in love with each other for the rest of your lives?"

Ron had stormed out of the room at those words.

Now, Hermione sat in her bedroom, figuring it was the one place in the entire house that she would not have to worry about running into Ron, and read her book. However, she was interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Come in," she said, marking her spot in her book and setting it aside.

Harry's raven-hair peeked inside the door. He smiled at her as he walked inside the room. She smiled back at him.

"What is it, Harry?" she asked.

"Well, I was wondering if you would like to join Ginny and me on a trip to Hogsmeade?"

Hermione laughed a little before she spoke. "Honestly, Harry! You can't bring me along on every date that you and Ginny have."

Harry turned bright red at her words, which Hermione found quite amusing as Harry hardly ever blushed. He began pulling at the collar of his robes as though he were warm. "Er, it's not a date. We, um... Fred and George wanted Gin and me to check out the new shop they have down there, and they wanted me to ask you to come too."

Hermione quirked up an eyebrow in confusion. "Me?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, they said that they figured it would be nice for you to be able to get out of the _same_ house as Ron for a few hours. They also said something about constructive criticism."

She smiled at that. "Okay, I'll go," she said as she got up from the bed.

"Great!" he said. "I'll go tell Ginny and we'll meet you downstairs." He was out of the room before Hermione could say another word.

Hermione smiled, shaking her head as she got up from her bed and made her way over to the cupboard. She rummaged inside it for a few moments before pulling out her traveling cloak. Slipping it on over the red jumper she was wearing, she then put on a pair of trainers, tied them, then made her way down the steps.

When she arrived downstairs, Harry and Ginny were sitting on the sofa talking. Harry laughed at something Ginny had said, his eyes sparkling as he looked at her.

_They're really in love, _Hermione thought to herself. _I guess love only exists for those select few._

She cleared her throat as she stepped further into the room, which grabbed the attention of the couple.

"There you are, Hermione," said Ginny, standing up from the sofa and dragging Harry up with her by their joined hands. "Let's go then." Ginny reached out her free hand to Hermione, which she took, and then the three disappeared with a crack.

Once the uneasiness left Hermione's body, she look up at the building that they had landed in front of. She recognized it immediately as Zonko's Joke Shop, but it no longer had those words written on the sign. Instead the sign now read Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes.

Without even bothering to wait for the other two, she walked inside the shop. Almost as soon as she stepped inside she was greeted by Fred and George, who both had near identical grins spread across their faces.

"Hermione!" they said together.

"We knew Harry would be able to convince you to come down here," said George.

"Yeah, we figured it would be nice to get away from our git brother for awhile," Fred said, flashing her a smile.

"And of course your opinion is valued here at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes," George said cheerfully.

"Since when?" asked Hermione. "As I recall, you two always did what you wanted no matter how many times I expressed my opinion."

"She's got a point there, Georgie," Fred said.

"I thought you said we could use her criticism to improve our products," George said.

"Well, yeah, I did, but-"

"Oh, for heavens sake!" Hermione exclaimed. "I'll help you as long as it isn't potentially dangerous."

Both Fred and George placed their hands over their hearts in mock-hurt.

"Why Hermione," began Fred.

"How could you?" spoke George.

"Us-"

"-Dangerous?"

"Never!" they finished together.

Hermione rolled her eyes, but despite herself, she smiled. It was then that she noticed that Harry and Ginny had not yet entered the shop. She looked over her shoulder to see if she could spot them out the front window, but they were no were to be seen.

"Where have Harry and Ginny gone?" she asked, though it was mostly to herself.

"Well, we have a confession to make, Hermione," Fred told her. "Harry and Gin won't be joining us until much later today."

"Why?"

"We told them," started George, "That they needed some time to themselves and that you needed to be around other people besides them, Mum, Dad, and, of course, Ickle Ronniekins."

"They agreed with us," said Fred.

"So, this was a trick?" asked Hermione.

"A trick. A genius plan. Call it what you will, but it's for your own good," Fred said, shaking a finger in her direction as though he were scolding her.

Sighing in defeat, she nodded. "Alright, fine!"

"Excellent!" Fred and George exclaimed.

"Well, the first thing we should probably do," began Hermione, looking about the shop, "is clean this place up."

And that is just what they did. They had enchanted several brooms and mops to clean the floors, and a few dusters had been enchanted to dust about the shop. George went to work sorting through unwanted items that had been left behind. Fred was repairing old shelves and display tables. Hermione, meanwhile, was repainting all the walls in a chevron pattern of magenta, pale green, and orange, which, thanks to magic, was far less messy than doing it the Muggle way. They went about this for about an hour before they were finally finished.

Then they began placing products on all the shelves. Skiving Snack-boxes, Whizzing Whiz-Bangs, and a variety of other products soon occupied the shelves. Pygmy Puffs were placed inside cages that were placed in various spots about the store. Signs were displayed in the windows and on the walls. The shop was coming together nicely. As a finishing touch, Hermione waved her wand, causing several pink and green bubbles of light to float about the room.

Now that they were finished, they stood in the very center of the shop. They turned about the room, taking in their handy-work. Hermione had to admit that this was a rather wonderful looking shop. She would even go as far as to say that it would give the one back in Diagon Alley a run for its money.

"That was fun," said George. "Now, who's hungry?"

"I am!" Fred and Hermione said together. They looked at each other, both a little surprised at the fact that they had spoken in unison. A grin spread across Fred's face and he winked at her, which made Hermione laugh.

The three of them decided to walk down to the Three Broomsticks and have lunch there. They found a rather shabby looking table and sat down. Fred sat next to Hermione and George sat across from them.

"What can I get you lot?" asked Madam Rosmerta a few moments later. They ordered and once again were left alone.

They chatted about the shop in excited voices. Hermione had asked what the plan was now that they had two shops. The boys told her that they would run the one in Diagon Alley during the summer holidays and they would run the one in Hogsmeade during the school term.

"It's gonna be a bit of a challenge since Lee will be leaving us to move on to bigger and better things," said Fred. "Least we still have Verity working for us for awhile longer." There was a long pause before anyone spoke again. However, the silence was broken by a gasp from George.

"I've just had an idea!" he exclaimed excitedly. Both Fred and Hermione raised their eyebrows at him in questioning. "What if Hermione came and worked for us for awhile?"

Hermione raised her eyebrows further until they all but disappeared. "What?"

"Think about it, Hermione," George started again. "You would be able to get out of the house, and you wouldn't be alone because Fred and I will always be near by. You'd make a bit of money too."

"Y'know, it could work," Fred said, nodding in agreement. "I mean, you could work there until you feel comfortable enough to go out on your own and get a different job if you wanted."

"Are you mad?!" Hermione exclaimed. "I'm scared of my own shadow these days. I could very well kill one of your customers by accident because of how jumpy I am."

"Well, you wouldn't necessarily have to work with customers," George told her.

"Yeah, you could work on products in the back until you're ready to work with customer," Fred reassured her. "Only trusted personal can enter the room thanks to a spell of George's and I's own personal invention, so you wouldn't have to worry about anyone untrustworthy coming in and attacking you."

Hermione sighed in defeat. She knew that they would never drop it no matter what. They were too stubborn, which was a trait that all the members of the Weasley family happened to possess. "Fine! I'll do it."

Fred and George high-fived in triumph. "I knew I could annoy you until you agreed to work with us," Fred said, a wide grin on his face. "Just like when I annoyed awake from your coma."

Hermione rolled her eyes and shoved his arm lightly, but she smiled anyways.

It was then that their food was brought to them.

**oOo**

**Fred's POV**

When Fred, George, and Hermione arrived back at the shop, they found Harry and Ginny waiting for them.

"There you are," said Harry smiling at them. "Gin and I were beginning to worry that the two of you kidnapped Hermione and ran away to America."

Fred laughed at that before saying, "Now, Harry, you and I both know that Hermione would have jinxed George and I both before we even made it out of the door." He ruffled Hermione's hair affectionately as she laughed along with him.

"We have some good new to share with you, by the way," George said. Harry and Ginny both stared at him expectantly before he continued. "Hermione's going to work at the shop with us for awhile."

"That's wonderful, Mione," Ginny said.

Hermione only smiled.

"Fred, do you mind if I talk to you for a minute," Harry asked suddenly.

"Sure, mate," Fred replied. "We can talk in the back."

The pair of them walked back into the backroom of the new shop. It was a bit different than the one back in Diagon Alley. This one had a table and chairs in the center of the room, which was littered with several books. There was a few shelves in the room that had cauldrons and a variety of ingredients on them.

"So, what is you want to talk about?" asked Fred.

"Hermione," Harry stated simply.

"Oh, what about her?" Fred felt himself grow slightly nervous.

"She's able to smile again when she's with you." Harry paused for a moment, then continued. "I may be oblivious about a lot of things, but not when it comes to Hermione's well being."

"Okay," said Fred, not exactly understanding what Harry was saying.

"Fred, I know how you feel about Hermione."

Fred felt his heart stop at those words. "How do-"

"George told me years ago," Harry said, cutting him off.

_Git! _Fred thought to himself. _I swear to Merlin that there will be pay back._

"Anyways," Harry continued, "I think you're good for Hermione. She's not afraid to open up around you; you're always there for her when I'm not. And this job that you and George set up for her is a brilliant way for her to be able to trust people again." Harry paused again before speaking. "You're bringing her back to us..."

Fred's heart had now begun beating rapidly. Harry's words had caused several thoughts to start buzzing in his head. He had dreamed for years that he would be given a chance to be with Hermione Granger, the girl he's practically been in love with since he was sixteen.

"Just promise me something, Fred," said Harry, pulling Fred from his thoughts.

"Okay?"

"Don't hurt her. She's been through enough pain and heartache to last her a life time."

"Of course, mate," replied Fred instantly. The thought of anyone hurting Hermione, including himself, made him upset. He was certain that if he ever did do such a thing, he would never forgive himself.

"Good. Well, I better get going. See you around," said Harry leaving the room.

_I better not mess this up, _Fred thought as he left the room a few minutes after Harry had.

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**AN: Okay, yet another chapter! I would just like to apologize how dialogue heavy this one is. I just felt that it was a bit necessary. Now, as far as the name of this chapter, I based it on a song called She's Got You High by Mumm-ra. It's a really good song and I totally recommend listening to it. Please leave a review as I love reading them. Till next time.**


	8. The Stuff of Novels

**AN: Hello, everyone! I know it's been a while sense I've updated (oops), but hopefully this chapter makes up for it! I've had no motivation lately and I've just been busy with life and stuff. Anyways, without further ado, here is the next chapter. ENJOY!**

* * *

Hermione stood rooted to the spot in Diagon Alley outside of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. It was her first day, and if someone were to ask her how she felt about the whole ordeal she would reply in one of two ways: 1) she would go off about how she was not ready and ramble on about how bad of an idea this all was, or, 2) she would simply vomit from all the nerves. Either way, the person asking the question would have gotten basically the same answer.

_Merlin, help me, _she thought to herself, becoming more convinced by the second that this was a bad idea. _Maybe I should just go back to the Burrow. Yes, that's what I'll do._

However, to her great disappointment, both Fred and George walked out of the shop just as she was about to apparate.

"Ah, ah, not so fast, Miss Granger," Fred said mockingly as he and George came walking out of the shop towards her. "We had an agreement, and surely a self-respecting witch like yourself won't back out now."

Hermione huffed out a sigh of annoyance. "Don't call me 'Miss Granger,' _Mr. Weasley,"_ she shot back at him as she began lowering her wand in defeat.

"Using my own tactics against me isn't going to work. I rather like you calling me 'Mr. Weasley'," he said puffing out his chest all important-and-superior-like and shooting her a wink.

Hermione blushed, but snorted in amusement at his words.

"Alright, you two, let's get a move on," George said a bit impatiently.

This caused Hermione to freeze up again. Her heart was pacing at an alarming rate and her palms were coated in sweat. _I can't do this._

"Hermione, are you okay?" George asked her, placing a hand on her shoulder. She jumped at the contact causing him to remove his hand.

"I... I don't know if I can do this," she replied, her voice a tad shaky.

"Rubbish!" Fred all-but shouted, causing the other two to turn and face him. "Hermione Granger, _the _Hermione Granger, brightest witch of her age, afraid to work in a joke shop? Blimey, you've broken into Gringotts and escaped on the back of a bloody dragon for Merlin's sake! Not to mention, you're credited with helping to defeat the darkest wizard of all time. You of all people are more than capable to work in a joke shop with a couple of ginger blokes. In fact, Mione, you are overly qualified to work here."

Hermione stared wide-eyed at him. Never in a million years did she think that Fred Weasley would have such an outburst, in which he praised her for all that she had done. To be honest, Hermione had always thought that Fred had found her to be rather annoying and, to quote one of her teachers, an Insufferable-Know-It-All.

"Now then," Fred said, regaining his composure, "Let's go get set up." He turned and began walking back towards the shop.

Hermione still stood frozen, mouth agape in amazement, until George came and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Close your mouth," he told her as he began to steer her after Fred.

Once they had entered the shop they were greeted by Verity. "Good morning, Mr. Weasley, Mr. Weasley, and Miss Granger," she said happily.

"Morning," Fred and George said together. Hermione, however, only grumbled at being called 'Miss Granger' for the second time that day.

"Any mail today, Verity?" George asked, dropping his arm from Hermione's shoulders.

"Oh, yes," the girl replied sweetly, her blonde hair bouncing about her shoulders in excitement. "Twenty orders for Pygmy Puffs, seventy-seven orders for Skiving Snackboxes, and eighty orders for love potions. 'Course that's just the order from this morning."

"Excellent! Keep up the good work." George then began to lead the way to the back, but was interrupted.

"Oh, Mr. Weasley, a letter came for you as well. A letter from Miss Angelina Johnson."

Hermione could not see George's face, but she could see the blush creeping up the back of his neck and the redness of the tip of his remaining ear. "Well, then," he said before clearing his throat and turn back around, allowing Hermione to see the red state of his face. "I best be taking care of all of those then. I'm sure you can take care of Hermione, then, Forge?"

Fred nodded and led Hermione to the back.

"Okay then," Fred said once he and Hermione were in the backroom. "George and I figured it would just be easiest for you to start out by making some potions and candies today," he continued as he went over to the shelf and plucked a tattered looking book off the shelf. He gestured for Hermione to take a seat at the rather small table that he was now sitting at before flipping through the book.

"Here we have the Nosebleed Nougats," he said flipping to a page titled with the said-product, the rest of the page littered with notes in a combination of his own cramped, somewhat-messy writing and George's writing, which seemed to be a combination of both print and cursive.

Fred continued flipping through the pages, showing Hermione what products she could make today. "Right, so you can go ahead and make the Nosebleed Nougats, the Puking Pastilles, and the Amortentia."

"I'm _not _making Amortentia," Hermione said instantly, bitterness in her voice.

"And why is that, if you don't mind me asking?" Fred asked, quirking an eyebrow up at her.

"Because."

"'Because' isn't an answer, love."

"Well, it's my answer," Hermione said stubbornly, crossing her arms over her chest.

Fred let out a huff of amusement. "I'm afraid that's still not a good enough reason for you not to make it. Just tell me why you don't want to make it?"

Hermione shot him a glare, but still refused to say anything.

"Mione," he all-but whispered.

Her gaze softened a bit. "Aren't you the one who came up with that?"

He smiled at her. "If I answer your question will you answer mine?"

"Maybe..."

He chuckled. "Yeah, I did come up with it. Sometimes I just tend to talk really fast, so I tend to drop syllables in people's names. How do you think everyone started calling Ginny 'Gin'?"

Hermione smiled at that.

"Okay, now it's your turn to answer my question. Why won't you make the Amortentia?"

She sighed, but she began speaking, "I won't make it because..." she bit her lip nervously, "because you shouldn't have to force someone to love you. Love is supposed to be one of the most powerful forces of magic to ever exist, and to make a potion that mimics that is disgusting..."

There was a pregnant silence before either of them spoke again. All the while, Hermione stared at the wall, refusing to look anywhere else. Fred, on the other hand, had his gaze trained on her face, studying it.

"You're right," he said finally.

She jerked her head in his direction. "What?"

"You're right," he said again. "It is disgusting."

Hermione furrowed her brow at him in confusion. Not once in the seven years that she had known Fred Weasley had he ever agreed with her on anything. Not S.P.E.W. or her belief that Quidditch, though enjoyable to watch, was just a game. Merlin! He even disagreed that testing products on first years was immoral.

"Okay," Fred began, "so just worry about the Nosebleed Nougats and the Puking Pastilles, then."

"Okay," Hermione replied quietly.

Fred stood up from his spot at the table. "We'll come check on you later, then," he said, ruffling her hair, the smell of spearmint and vanilla filling his senses as he did so.

"Okay," she said again.

Fred smiled at her one last time before exiting the room.

Almost automatically, he went off to find George, whom seemed to just be finishing up the order forms.

"So, how'd it go?" George asked, without looking up from his papers, although there was a suggestive tone in his voice.

"I don't know, what did Angelina have to say," Fred replied, turning the conversation onto George, who turned a tad bit red.

"That, dear brother, is none of your business. Besides, I asked you first."

Fred chuckled a bit. "I got her making stuff for the Skiving Snackboxes for now." He paused for a moment, then said, "I don't think we should do Love Potions anymore."

At these words, George looked up. "What?!"

"Geez, Georgie! I guess only having one ear really does affect your hearing. I said that I don't think we should sell Love Potions anymore."

"I heard you the first time, you arse!"

"Okay, then why all the fuss?"

"Because, Fred, Love Potions are one of our most popular products, and you just want to discontinue them?"

"Well, think about it, George!" Fred exclaimed. "Didn't Harry say that Voldemort was conceived under a Love Potion? I don't know about you, mate, but I don't want to be responsible for giving people the power to conceive the next Lord No-Nose. Tricking people into falling in love, it's kind of disgusting, really."

George thought this over for a moment before he spoke. "I suppose you're right, but you get to tell eighty customers that they won't be receiving their order."

"Fine. I'm going to go rid of all of it, then we can go ahead and open."

"All right," George said, returning his attention back to the papers in front of him while Fred gathered up all the Love Potions in the shop.

Using a levitating charm, he brought them into another room at the back, that also served as a work room. However, this one was hardly ever used due to the fact that it was quite a small room and a good portion of it was taken up by a single, large sink. There he emptied the contents of each bottle down the sink, which thanks to magic was a quick process. After thirty minutes every vial was emptied; the cramped room, once smelling like dust, now had a number of different smells added. He could smell his mother's homemade onion soup, chocolate, and the strongest sent of all was a mixture of spearmint and vanilla. Gathering up the empty vials, he left the room.

**oOo**

Hermione's day seemed to go by quickly. Before she knew it, Fred and George had come to tell her that it was time to go. Having been invited to the Burrow for dinner that evening, the pair of them apparted with Hermione there.

As soon as they were standing in the sitting room, the smell of onion soup filled Hermione's nose. She felt her stomach give an involuntary growl, that happened to be quite loud. So, loud in fact that both Fred and George chuckled at the noise.

"I told you that you should have eaten more than that sandwich for lunch, Mione," Fred said cheerfully.

"I know," she said begrudgingly.

Then Molly suddenly came out of the kitchen. "There you three are!" she cried. "I was beginning to think something happened to you."

"Mum, we're only twenty minutes late," said George.

"Never mind how late you are. Come on and sit down before it gets cold."

The three of them did as they were told, following Molly into the kitchen. Hermione seeing that there was an empty seat next to Ginny, sat down, Fred and George taking the two empty seats beside her.

Hermione took a moment to see who else had been invited to dinner: Bill, Fleur, Percy, and even Charlie were amongst them tonight. She continued looking about the table, and was surprised to see Ron at the table. She had become accustomed to not seeing him during dinner as it had been his sole purpose to avoid her since their breakup almost a month ago.

Despite his presence there, he still looked upset. Granted, he looked a lot better than he did a few weeks ago.

_I hope it's not too late to fix our friendship, _Hermione thought, giving him one last glance before turning her attention to her supper.

All around her people chatted amongst themselves, asking about their health and their work life. "Work is great," they would say in reply. Hermione, however, ate in silence.

It was not until everyone had nearly finished eating that Hermione paid attention to what was going on when Bill had asked for everyone's attention. "Fleur and I have an announcement to make," he told them in his gravelly voice. "We're, um..." he cleared his throat. "Fleur and I are going to have a baby."

A series of reactions happened upon hearing the news: Molly began crying, Ginny squealed with excitement, and the men clapped Bill on the back and congratulated him. Everyone was bouncing and chattering about with excitement. Everyone except Hermione.

She stayed completely still. Not moving a muscle as a million thoughts buzzed in her head: _Pregnant. They're pregnant. I won't be able to tell my parents when I get pregnant. _If _I get pregnant. Knowing my luck, I'll probably end up alone. I'll just be an intrusion on these people until they finally just get rid of me._

She felt a hand on her shoulder, "Are you okay, Mione?" Fred whispered in her ear.

She gave herself a bit of a shake before nodding. "Yeah, I'm okay." She stood up and began to gather everyone's dishes.

"Hermione, dear, you don't have to do that," Molly told her.

"It's okay. I really don't mind."

Once the dishes were all gathered and everyone else had retired to the sitting room, Hermione began washing the dishes...without magic. She scrubbed vigorously at the pot and bowels, trying to make all the pain go away.

She _was _happy for Bill and Fleur. Really she was. It just hurt her to think that she would never be able to have anything like that. Tears began to prickle her eyes, but she kept scrubbing away, trying to ignore them.

After about fifteen minutes of this, Hermione felt hands on shoulders. She turned to see who it was. Fred. Abandoning the dishes in the sink, she turned and allowed herself to be enveloped in his embrace. She let her tears flow freely.

Fred let her cry, though it broke his heart to see her so distraught. He held her to him, refusing to let go until she was calm again. Thankfully, that was about ten minutes later.

"What's the matter, love," he asked her.

"I miss my parents," she sniffed. Of course, Fred knew about the whole ordeal with the Grangers. How Hermione had erased their memories and sent them away to protect them.

"I'm tired of being scared all the time," she continued. "I'm tired of feeling like an intrusion and a burden to everyone."

At these words, Fred drew back from her so he could look her in the eye. "Why on earth would you say that?"

"I live here because I have no where else to go. I'm not your parents responsibility, yet they let me. I have no right to be included in family moments like the one at dinner."

Fred brought his hands up to cup her face. "Oh, Mione," he whispered. "Did you ever stop to think that we include you things like that because to us _you are _family?"

"No," she whispered.

"Well, start thinking it because you are family in every way that matters. You and Harry both. You above all people should know that blood means nothing."

She nodded, then gave a watery laugh. "Yes, I'll just be all your children's Auntie Hermione."

He laughed with her. "Yes, and we'll all love your children just the same"

Her smiled fell a bit. "I don't know that I'll have children," she said.

"Why's that?"

"Some of us are just meant to be alone. That whole idea of there's someone for everyone, that's the stuff of novels." She smiled sadly at him. "Maybe that's why I like reading them so much."

This made Fred upset. The most beautiful woman in the entire world thought she was unworthy of love. Well, he would just have to show her, now wouldn't he.

"Hermione Jean Granger, you are without a shadow of a doubt the most worthy person of love I have ever had the priviledge of knowing," he whispered, though his voice was firm. "And I promise you that you will find someone who loves you with every fiber of his being, and will do everything in his power to fulfill every desire of your heart."

She smiled at him as a new batch of tears filled her eyes. However, this time they were not tears of grief.

Before he could lose his nerve, Fred swooped in and planted a tender kiss on her lips. To his surprise and relief, he felt her kiss him back. After what felt like hours to Fred, but was actually only a few seconds, they broke apart. "Now then, shall we go and join the others?" he asked Hermione.

She nodded, and so they walked into the sitting room hand in hand.

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**AN: Alright my lovelies, here's the next chapter. Again, I apologize about the wait, but hopefully it was worth it. Oh, and don't fret because our story does not end here. Any-who, until next time, don't forget to leave a review.**


	9. Here's to Starting Over

A few weeks had passed since Bill and Fleur's announcement on their pregnancy. Everyone would bomb them with several questions asking how far along they were or whether or not they knew the gender of the baby. Everyone, that is, except Hermione, whose thoughts happened to be occupied by another event that took place later that same day.

This event being the kiss she had shared with Fred that night.

It all seemed to happen all so fast. One second he was holding her and comforting her. The next second, he was giving her a grand speech about how brilliant she was and how worthy of love he thought she was; the latter being something that had surprised her. Then suddenly his lips were on hers.

Never in her life had Hermione remembered being kissed like this. Granted, she only had the references of two other people: Viktor Krum and, of course, Ron. She had only kissed Viktor a handful of times, each time being - as she remembered it - rather awkward and sloppy as she was inexperienced and Viktor was not the best kisser. Kissing Ron, on the other hand, had not been awkward, but she the fireworks that everyone seemed to talk about were absent.

Oh, but kissing Fred was exhilarating. Kissing him did not only cause fireworks to burst with every beat of her heart. Kissing Fred was like feeling the sunshine on her face for the very first time. Like a desert finally being washed with rain. Like be found after being lost for a hundred years.

Suddenly, there was a loud noise, which broke Hermione out of the her thoughts and brought her crashing back into the present.

She was in the workroom of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes working on a new product: mints that caused the consumer to become temporarily mute. She had gotten so distracted that the ingredients in her cauldron had become overheated causing an explosion worthy of Seamus Finnigan, though the sound of the explosion was quite a bit louder than anything Seamus had ever managed to pull off.

"Damn," she whispered under her breath before waving her wand and causing the ruined brew to vanish. Hermione then heard a couple of loud, stumbling footsteps outside before the door burst open, revealing two tall and panting figures.

"What happened?" Fred and George asked together, their wands raised and ready to attack any intruder.

"Nothing," Hermione began. "Just a little accident."

Both Fred and George lowered their wands, relief flooding their faces as they did so.

"Blimey, Hermione," Fred breathed. "Nearly gave George and I a heart attack, you did."

"S-sorry," she mumbled nervously, looking anywhere but at Fred.

Fred and Hermione had barely said more than a few words to each other since that night in the kitchen. Hermione always made some excuse in order to avoid Fred. Her logic being that being alone with him would make things more complicated than what they already were.

"Well, at least you're all right," George said.

"Yes, yes, I'm perfectly fine," Hermione told them, getting slightly annoyed that they were still pestering her about it. "Just go back to whatever it was that you were doing."

George did not have to be told twice, so he left almost immediately. Fred, on the other hand, stayed lingering, arms crossed, in the doorway much to Hermione's dismay.

"Honestly, Fred, I'm fine," she told him still not meeting his gaze.

"I'm sure you are," he said simply.

"Then why are you still here?"

"I think you know _exactly_ why I'm still here, Hermione," he said quietly.

Finally, Hermione looked at him. Fred's face held no sign of humor. In fact, he looked rather serious. The intensity of his gaze upon her made her want to look away, but for some unbeknownst reason she could not seem to bring herself to.

"Fred," she whispered.

"We have to talk about it, Hermione," he told her as walked over to the table where she sat. "I can't go on pretending like nothing happened."

"Fred, we can't. _I _can't!" she whisper-yelled, looking away from him.

"Why?" His eyes were growing wide with determination. He took the seat next to her and placed a hand over her own one that was resting on the table. "Please, look at me."

She did and was shocked to see how many emotions were swimming behind his brown eyes. A great deal of those emotions being ones she could not name.

"We have to talk about it," he said again.

She shook her head. "What is there to talk about, Fred? People kiss and not mean it all the time," she said, hoping that that would cause him to drop the subject.

"But _I _meant it! _You know _I meant it."

"Yeah," she began, sighing with defeat, "I know."

There was a long pause before either of them spoke again. Hundreds of thoughts zooming through _both _their heads, no doubt.

"Hermione," Fred said, breaking the silence. "I must confess that I have harbored feelings for you for a number of years now. I never said anything because I always figured that you fancied Ron, so I let it alone.

"But y'know, ever since that wall collapsed on me and I survived, it got me thinking that life's to short to be afraid. Nearly dying has allowed me to realize what it is that I want."

Hermione cleared her throat. "And what is it that you want?"

"You," he said simply. "It's always been you. I've waited too bloody long, and now I've been given the chance to start over."

All Hermione could do was stare. In all her life she could never imagine someone saying such things to her.

Fred leaned in and placed a soft kiss on her forehead before saying, "At least think about it?"

She only nodded and watched as Fred got up and left the room.

**oOo**

Hermione was sitting on the sofa in the sitting room of the Burrow. A book was opened in her lap, but she was too distracted with her thoughts to be reading. Those thoughts consisting mostly of Fred and the question he had asked her a couple of days ago.

_Should I, Hermione Jean Granger, give Frederick Gideon Weasley a chance? _she thought to herself. She laughed for it was almost comical to have both their names in a sentence that implied _such things. _However, despite that small amount of humor those words brought her, Hermione could not help but wonder if the insinuation of it was such a bad idea after all.

"What's so funny?" came a voice causing Hermione to once again be broken from her thoughts.

She was surprised, though not displeased, to see Ron standing a few feet away. His face held no ounce of anger nor hatred, but there was a guarded air about him.

"Ron," she said smiling softly at him.

He returned her smile, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. "What were you laughing about?" he asked again.

"Oh, nothing. I was just thinking," she replied, standing as she marked her place in her book and set it aside.

"What about?" he asked, genuinely curious.

"Nothing of great importance."

_Liar_

"Well, can we talk, then?" he asked her.

"Of course, Ron." Hermione turned all her attention on the man (the fact that he was no longer a boy was still appalling to her) in front of her. "What is it you want to talk about?"

Ron sighed before speaking, "Look, I just wanted to say that you were right, and that I'm sorry about the way I've treated you the past two months."

She was shocked to hear those words leave Ron's mouth. In all the time she had known him he had never been the one to apologize on his own accord. Usually he would only apologize after a good few weeks of Harry chewing his ear off about it, but something told her that Harry had nothing to do with Ron's apology this time.

"You were right," he said again. "You and I don't love each other; not romantically, anyway. I just... I just thought -"

"You don't have to explain yourself, Ronald," Hermione interrupted. "I forgive you, and I'm sorry too."

He smiled at her as a way of telling her that he accepted her apology as well.

Without really thinking about it, they wrapped their arms around each other in a quick hug.

"Here's to starting over," Ron said as they broke apart.

The conversation Hermione had had with Fred suddenly filled her mind.

_"And what is it that you want?"_

_"You," he said simply. "It's always been you. I've waited too bloody long, and now I've been given the chance to start over."_

Hermione smiled up at Ron, "To starting over," she repeated, for in that moment she finally had an answer to Fred's question.


	10. I Will Always Catch You

**AN: Hello everyone! I know that it's been a while, but I'm finally back. Before we begin, I would like to talk to you about the way I portray Ron in my writing. I love Ron. I really do. When I was younger he was my favorite character and I dislike all the hate he gets in fanfics, so I try to write him as he is portrayed in the books. As far as him blowing up about breaking up with Hermione, I felt that it would be a normal reaction for anyone. So, if ever you as the reader feel that I am not portraying ANY of the character correctly, please feel free to let me know. Without further ado, here we go!**

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Hermione sat a shabby, wooden table in a gloomy corner of the Leaky Cauldron. Her copy of _Pride and Prejudice _was cracked open. Whilst she read, she sipped, occasionally at the mug of hot butterbeer perched upon the grainy, wooden surface.

"Is there anything else I can get you, Miss Granger?" came a voice above Hermione.

She looked up from her book, a frown on her face from being called by her surname. The person standing over her seemed somehow familiar. He was a handsome, young man with sandy hair. Suddenly, it clicked.

"Michael?!" she exclaimed.

The man's eyes widened slightly. "You…you remember me?"

"Of course I do! What are you doing here? Did the Moonbellenot work out?"

"'Fraid not. It wasn't really my cup of tea."

Hermione nodded her understanding. "Well, I'm sure Hannnah will be a good boss. She's such a lovely person."

"Yes," agreed Michael. "Mrs. Longbottom is a wonderful employer."

A silence suddenly settled around the pair of them. A silence that made Hermione rather uncomfortable.

Michael's blue eyes scanned her face so intensely that she adverted her gaze to the table. She could still feel his eyes upon her after a few moments passed.

"Um," she started, still not looking at him, "I should let you get back to work."

Michael cleared his throat before speaking. "Right. Just let me know if you need anything." He then shuffled away.

Hermione tried to go back to reading her book, but she felt far too uneasy by the encounter she had just had. She felt her breath begin to quicken and her hands become slick with sweat.

Before she could cause a scene, she closed her book and threw a few galleons on the table before storming out the pub. She walked with her gaze trained on her feet. After walking a few paces away from the building, she bumped right into the chest of someone.

"Whoa, there!" said the poor person whom she had walked into.

"Do forgive me, Sir," Hermione began, still looking at her feet. "I should have been paying attention."

"No harm done. It's…Hermione?"

Hermione finally looked up. Her breath eased slightly at the sight of Fred Weasley. Without a second of hesitation, she threw her arms around him and buried her nose in his chest.

Fred immediately put his own arms around her. "What happened, love?" he asked tenderly.

"It's stupid," she whimpered against his chest.

"You can tell me," he assured her.

She then told him of the encounter she had with Michael. How his lingering gaze felt as though he were prying into the most secret and private corners of her mind.

Fred was quiet for a moment when Hermione had finished her tale. Instinctively, his grip tightened on her.

"Mione, I don't want you to go in there unless someone is with you, okay?"

Hermione sniffed. "I can take care of myself, y'know," though it did not come out as confidently as she would have liked.

Fred allowed himself to smile a little. "I have no doubt about that. I would just feel better if someone was with you."

"All right," Hermione said. "I'll bring someone along with me for _your_ sake."

Fred chuckled softly. He released his grip on her, then linked his hand with hers. "Come on. I know just the thing to make you feel better."

"Where are we going?"

He flashed her a sly grin. "It's a surprise."

The pair ran about Diagon Alley hand in hand 'til they reached Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. The shop was closed since it was so late in the afternoon. So late, in fact, that sun had begun to set.

_I didn't think I was out that late, _Hermione thought to herself.

Fred gently tugged her into the dim lit shop. They weaved their way through the shelves. Soon they arrived at the back of the shop. They ventured up the staircase that led to the flat above the shop.

Fred stuck his free hand into the folds of his robes to retrieve his wand. "_Alohamora_," he said, pointing it at the door. There was a click before Fred turned the handle.

"After you," he said, releasing Hermione's hand and opening the door for her, a cheeky grin plastered on his face.

She smiled fondly at him.

When Hermione walked into the flat, she was surprised to see the simple austerity of the room. Beige walls and a dull, gray sofa in the living area. The kitchen and dining area seemed to have been completely untouched.

"Don't look so surprised, Hermione," Fred said jokingly from behind her.

Hermione turned to face him, a blush warming her cheeks. "Surprised?"

"Let me guess, you were expecting to find rubbish littering the floor and a sink full of dirty dishes?"

"Something like that," Hermione said sheepishly.

Fred laughed. "Well, let's go up to the roof."

"The roof?" Hermione said nervously.

"Just trust me."

He led her up yet another staircase. When they arrived on the roof, Hermione felt a cool breeze ruffle her hair. The setting sun turned the sky various shades of crimson and purple.

"It's beautiful up here," she whispered.

"Yes it is," Fred agreed. "This isn't even the best part."

"Oh?"

"I'll be right back."

Fred walked over to a shed-like building. He rummaged around in there before returning. Hermione noticed he carried a broomstick in his hands.

"Fred," she said nervously.

"There's nothing to worry about, Hermione."

"Except falling!"

Fred smiled softly. "I won't let you fall," he said quietly.

Hermione stared at him for a moment still unsure. "Do you promise?"

"I swear to you, Hermione, I will _always _be there to catch you if ever you should fall. May it be off a broom or anything else" He said this so sincerely, so wholeheartedly, that Hermione was momentarily stunned by his words.

"Okay," she said finally.

"Brilliant! You get on first, then."

Hermione took the broom from Fred and mounted it. Fred then climbed on behind her. He wrapped one arm around her waist and gripped the handle of the broom with his free hand.

"Ready?" he whispered in Hermione's ear, causing her to shiver.

She only nodded and before she comprehend what was happening, the pair of them took off into the air.

Hermione's breath hitched in the back of her throat and her body tensed. Fred tightened his hold on her.

"Relax," he told her. "I've got you."

She let herself relax only a little. It was then that Fred placed a kiss upon her temple, which caused her to calm down a bit more.

They flew around Diagon Alley. The setting sun turning it an orange-gold. A few children pointed them out to their parents, who waved up at them.

Hermione drank in the familiar scent of smoke and sweets, and laughter bubbled from her lips.

They flew around long after the sun had completely set. A blanket of stars high above them and a full moon shone bright.

After a while, they finally landed back on the roof of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes.

Hermione's hair was windblown, making it even more wild than usual, and her cheeks were pink from the sting of the cool, night air.

"See, that wasn't so bad," Fred said as they dismounted the broom.

Hermione smiled up at him and wrapped her arms around him. "Do you remember that question you asked me last week?"

"I do," Fred said looking hopefully at her.

"I have an answer for you."

"And what is your answer?"

"I want to give it a chance," Hermione told him. "I want to give _us _a chance."

Fred pressed his forehead against Hermione's. "You're sure?" he asked.

"I have never been more sure in my life. Well, except when it came to school."

Fred chuckled, then kissed her fully and passionately.


	11. You Can't Deny You Want The Happy Ending

**AN: Thank you all for the reviews! I'm so glad you like this story as much as I like writing it. I'm so sorry that it's taking so long to update. Life is notorious for getting in the way of things. Any who, I don't own Harry Potter (obviously). Enjoy!**

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"So, let me get this straight," began Ron. He, Harry, and Hermione were lounged about on his bedroom floor of the Burrow. "You and Fred are dating?"

"Well, sort of," Hermione replied timidly.

"What the bloody hell do you mean by 'sort of?'" Ron bellowed.

"Ron, mate," spoke Harry, "calm down."

"I am calm!"

Hermione let out a distraught sigh. She knew that it was probably not the best time to be telling people, especially Ron, that she was now dating Fred, or as she said, 'sort of' dating him. They had never officially gone on a date, so Hermione was not sure that her relationship with Fred could be considered dating just yet.

"Ron, I'm really sorry," Hermione said. "I really didn't mean for any of this to happen. I never meant to hurt you."

Ron's ears were bright red. A shade so bright that it was a sure sign that he was furious. But, as he spoke, he did his best to control the venom in his voice.

"Maybe that's true, Hermione, but, nevertheless, I still ended up hurt. Do you have any idea what it's like to think you're completely in love with someone one minute, and then have them tell you that they don't feel the same way in the next?" There was an excruciating pause before Ron continued. "And, to make matters worse, I find out that you and my brother are all-but shaking up with each other almost three months after our breakup!"

Hermione felt tears sting the corners of her eyes. She knew that she had hurt Ron, and knew that that was probably the worst thing she had ever done in her entire life.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I won't ask for your forgiveness because I know that I am not deserving of it. Words cannot express how very sorry I am, though."

"God, I can't even look at you right now," Ron said, his voice breaking ever so slightly as he averted his gaze from her and rose to his feet. "I need some air." He walked out the door without saying another word.

"I'm sorry, Hermione," said Harry, placing his hand gently upon Hermione's shoulder. "He'll come around eventually. He always does."

Hermione nodded. "Yes, but until then, let him be. He has every right to be upset with me." She then rose to her own feet and wiped the tears from her eyes and cheeks. "I have to go to work. See you later." And, with a loud crack, Hermione vanished.

**oOo**

At the shop, Hermione quickly made her way to the workroom without saying so much as a "hello" to anyone. She sat at the shabby table, cracked open a couple of books, and began throwing ingredients into a cauldron.

She was completely enthralled into her work, a distraction she was most grateful for. The only thing she had to worry about at the moment was adding in the correct amount of doxy venom to the Skiving Snackboxes.

Hermione went on like that until noon, when she heard a knock on the door. The door opened, revealing George, who began speaking the very second he crossed over the threshold.

"Hey, Hermione. Fred and Verity are just going to finish helping a couple customers, then the lot of us are going down to the Leaky Cauldron for lunch."

Hermione nodded, barely hearing him. "Okay, have fun."

"Erm... Aren't you coming?" George confusedly asked.

Hermione stayed silent. Her focus was so transfixed on her work, like a bloodhound on a scent, that she could not be bothered with answering questions.

"Right..." began George. "I...I'll just leave you to it, then." He then disappeared back behind the door.

**oOo**

Unbeknownst to Hermione, the minute the door had shut behind him, George went in search for Fred.

"There you are!" he said once he had found his brother, who bad been putting up a sign that read, 'Be back soon,' in the window. "I've been looking everywhere for you."

Fred chuckled to himself. "It's only been ten minutes, Gred."

"Okay, maybe not everywhere, but the dramatics of the statement fit the moment!"

Fred screwed up his face in a confused expression at George's words. "What are you talking about?"

"It's Hermione. Something's wrong. She seems a bit off."

Fred sighed and nodded. "I'll talk to her. You and Verity go ahead and go. We'll meet you down there."

"Sure thing, Forge!" George replied as he clapped Fred's shoulder encouragingly. "The best of luck to you, mate."

It was then that Verity came gliding into sight.

"Ah, perfect timing!" George said once he spotted her. "Verity, you and I are going to go ahead to the Leaky Cauldron and Fred and Hermione will meet up with us later."

"Of course, Mr. Weasley," she answered in her whimsical voice. As she passed Fred, she said, "See you in a bit, Mr. Weasley."

"Verity, how many times do we have to tell you?" began George as he held the door open for her. "Just call us George," he gestured to himself, "and Fred," he finished, gesturing to his brother. "This 'Mr. Weasley' stuff gets so confusing."

The last thing that Fred heard before he headed off in the direction of Hermione was Verity muttering something that sounded like: "...Weasley...your idea."

When the door to the workroom came into sight, Fred found himself wanting to run towards it, but thought better of it. He continued to make one agonizingly slow step after another until he was able to make contact with the door. His hand raised, he rapped his knuckles gently against the smooth surface of the wood. "Hermione, it's me. Can I come in?"

"You may," was Hermione's muffled reply from the other end of the door.

Fred opened the door with a loud creaking whine. He saw that Hermione was sat at the worktable occasionally tossing the various ingredients she had littered upon the table into a bubbling cauldron. Her gaze was so focused on the book in front of her that Fred would not be a bit surprised if it were to burst into flames at any given moment.

"Mione," he said, speaking softly.

At the sound of her nickname, Hermione looked up from her work.

Her forehead was creased and her lips were pursed in concentration. The locks of hair that had fallen loose from the knot she wore at the nape of her neck, were now frizzy from the humidity of the steaming cauldron. Even in this state, Fred thought she was beautiful.

"Love," he said in the same dulcet tone. "Won't you take a break and come to the Leaky Cauldron with the rest of us?"

Hermione sighed, the tention leaving her features as she exhaled. "I don't know, Fred," she answered, closing her eyes.

Fred walked over to the table and sat in the remaining chair so that he was postioned in front of her. With a wave of his wand, the mess upon the table was cleaned. The various items returned to their assigned spots.

Fred then lifted one of Hermione's dainty hands off the table and held it between his much larger ones. She opened her eyes ever so slightly before closing them again.

"What's wrong?" he asked her, his voice cracking a bit at the end.

Hermione sighed again. "I just feel so guilty, Freddie," she whispered.

Fred's heart fluttered. Never in almost the eight years he had known Hermione, had she ever called him 'Freddie.' And, if he was being completely honest with himself, he hoped she'd do it again.

"Guilty for what?" Fred asked, clearing his throat before he spoke.

Hermione opened her eyes. They were swimming with unshed tears, making them appear as though they were made of glass. "I feel guilty because I'm happy even though people around me are suffering. Sometimes, I'm so happy that I completely forget that my parents wouldn't know who I was if I were to bump into them on the street."

There was defening silence after Hermione finished speaking. The both of them stared down at their intertwined handshands. Fred was trying to think of something to say and Hermione was still mentally beating herself up.

Finally, the silence was broken by Fred. "You're allowed to be happy, Hermione," he whispered without looking up at her.

Hermione released a breathy, humorless laugh through her nose. "Am I, Fred, because I don't think I am?"

At this Fred looked up at her. "Why would you say that?"

"Because, Fred. Everytime I get myself to a good place, someone or something comes along tells me that I can't. Sometimes I think that I really am just the stupid Mudblood people keep telling me I am."

Fred's stood up from his seat and came to kneel in front of her, he took her hand. His eyes were wide with determination. Though he spoke gently, his voice shook with subtle force, "Don't call yourself that, Hermione. Don't _ever_ call yourself that."

Tears began to slip down Hermione's cheeks. She released a harsh breath and wiped at them with her free hand in frustration.

Fred caught her hand with his and held it to his heart. He then leaned in and kissed each of her tear streaked cheeks. "You are _so much_ more than that," he whispered. He dropped her hands and brought his own up to cup her face. As he brushed his lips on her forehead, he said, "You are by far the most extraordinary person I have ever had the privilege of knowing."

Hermione hooked her hands behind Fred's neck. "Will you just kiss me already?" Before he answered, she pulled him to her and placed a firm kiss on his lips.

Fred released a moan of surprise, but he quickly got over the initial shock and began kissing her back.

He was gentle as he caressed her cheek with his thumb. Every now and then he would stop kissing her to brush his lips lightly against hers.

Hermione, however, did not want him to be _so_ gentle. She removed her hands from his neck and into his hair. As she pulled him closer to her, her teeth grazed his bottom lip.

Fred kissed her harder. His arms wrapped around her waste and then he lifted her onto the table lightly. He stood between her legs as they continued kissing.

It was not until Hermione began to snake her hands up Fred shirt, that he stopped her.

"Hermione," he said, his voice husky. He caught her hands and took a step back. "Hermione, we should stop."

Hermione nodded, disappointed. "Okay," she said flatly, sliding off the table. Her gaze was trained on her feet.

"Mione," Fred whispered, taking her face in his hands again so she would look at him. "Believe me, I would love nothing more than to continue this, but..."

"But?" Hermione questioned.

"But," Fred said, smiling warmly, "It would be rather rude to keep my brother and Verity waiting. Also," Fred's cheeks began to grow warm with a blush," when we, erm, finally d-do take that step, I want to make it feel special. I want to make _you _feel special. I, uh," he laughed nervously. "Sorry, I'm not very good at this."

Hermione smiled up at him. She was completely moved by his words. "Don't apologize," she said. "You're doing beautifully."

Fred smiled brightly down at her.

"And just so you know, Freddie," Hermione continued, "I always feel special when I'm with you."

Fred swooped down and captured her lips in one final kiss. "Well then," he said, pulling back, "shall we go grab some lunch?" He extended his arm to her as asked.

"We shall," replied Hermione as she took his arm.

The couple walked out the door of the shop arm in arm. A smile tugged at Hermione's lips as they walked down the street.

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**AN: Well this chapter was an absolute pain in the ass to write! Writer's block is the worst. Please review!**


	12. Coming Clean

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**AN: Okay, so I have gone back to previous chapters and have edited them a bit, so you might find that a few minor details have changed. You won't have to reread them to understand what is happening, so don't fret, lovelies. Any who, I don't own Harry Potter. I know, I'm just as distraught over it as you. Please enjoy!**

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Letters. Two letters, to be exact, had arrived at the Burrow early one morning. Of course they were not ordinary letters. No, they were Hogwarts letters. One for Ginny and one for Hermione.

Hermione was a bit surprised to have recieved hers. Nonetheless, she opened it eagerly and read.

_Dear Miss Granger,_

Hermione wrinkled her nose at the words '_Miss Granger._'

_Enclosed is a list of necessary books and equipment __required for your seventh year at Hogwarts: School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Though it is not required that you finish your schooling, I knew that you would still like to be given the opportunity to do so._

_Term starts September 1._

_Yours Sincerely,_

_Headmistress Minerva McGonagall_

"I don't know that I want to go back," Ginny announced over breakfast upon reading her own letter.

Molly was quick to put in her two cents. "You're going back, and that's final. Now that those _people_ are no longer running that school, you will be perfectly fine." Those people she was referring to being the Death Eaters that had taken over Hogwarts during the war.

"But, Mum," Ginny began, "Ron never did his seventh year and Fred and George dropped out half way through their's."

"_Ron _was helping Harry and Hermione win a war," Molly said sharply. "As for Fred and George, well, they're perfectly content with running a joke shop. You, Ginny, will go mad if you have to stay cooped up in a shop all day. You're going to school, end of discussion."

Ginny sighed in defeat. Her mother was right. Ginny would never last working in a shop.

"If it makes you feel any better, Ginny," Hermione began, "I think that I'll be going back to school as well."

Everyone looked at her, mouths slightly agape in bewilderment. Well, everyone who had attended breakfast that morning (Molly, Harry, Ginny).

"Hermione," spoke Harry, "are you sure you want to go back? I mean, I'm positive that you're more clever than half the teachers there."

Hermione laughed softly at those words. "That's very kind of you, Harry. However, I believe that there is still so much more that Hogwarts has to offer." Hermione paused for a moment before speaking again. "I... I also think that going back to school will help me with my anxiety and jumpy-ness."

"Oh, good for you Hermione!" squealed Molly as she jumped up from her spot at the table and threw her arms around Hermione. "I'm so proud of you, dear."

Hermione hugged her back. The two of them stayed enveloped in each other's embrace for only a moment before Hermione pulled back from Molly.

"Well then," Hermione said, rising to her feet, "I best be getting ready for work."

**oOo**

Once she had arrived at work, Hermione went in search of Fred. After a few moments of searching, she found him feeding the Pygmy Puffs that were in a pen displayed in the window. A job that had to be done before opening the shop, otherwise those Pygmy Puffs would cause a fuss.

"Oh, Fred," she started once she reached his side, "you won't believe what's happened!"

Fred jumped at the abrupt sound of Hermione's voice. When he saw that it was only her, he blew out a tense breath and racked a hand through his hair. "Oh hello, Hermione."

Hermione furrowed her brow. "Is everything okay?"

"Oh yeah. Everything is fine. Everything is spectacular!" Again, he drug his hand through his hair, making his already wild ginger locks even more unruly.

"No it's not," protested Hermione, as she placed a hand on his shoulder. "Fred, you can tell me what's wrong."

Fred blew out another shaky breath. "It's just that..." He paused for a moment. "It's just that today a particularly loud display of fireworks went off in the shop while George was tending to 'em. I don't know why, but I tensed up. I froze! Mione, for a minute it was like I was back in the Great Hall. Like I was being crushed by all that rubble again. I..." He broke off and touched the exposed skin at the base of his throat. There, Hermione could see pale scares peaking out from the collar of his shirt.

"Oh, Freddie," she whispered. She brought her hands up to cup his face, her thumbs lightly brushed his cheekbones.

Fred closed his eyes and leaned into her touch. One of his own hands came up to hold hers. It was almost as if he were trying to convince himself that this was real. That this was not a dream.

"I could have died, Hermione," he said as he opened his eyes. His voice cracked a bit when he spoke.

Hermione felt her heart ache at those words. God, the thought of losing him hurt. It hurt so much that she couldn't breathe.

"Why are you crying?" Fred asked suddenly.

It was then that Hermione realized that her cheeks were wet. She sniffed and moved her hands so that they were clutching the lapels of Fred's suit. Fred brushed away her tears with his knuckles.

"Frederick Gideon Weasley," she gasped out, "So help me God, if you ever die, I'll never forgive you."

Fred let out an airy laugh. "I've got to die someday, love."

"W-well, what if I told you that I love you? Will you die then?"

Fred stared at her, mouth agape, for a moment. Clearing he throat, he said, "I'm 'fraid so, but I'll die an exceptionally happy man."

"How's that?" Hermione asked wrapping her arms around him and leaning her head against his chest.

Fred wrapped his own arms around her. "Because I will die knowing that Hermione Granger loved me. _Me _of all people."

Hermione held him tighter. "Of course I love you, you ninny."

Fred chuckled softly. "Well, I'll let you in on a little secret." He drew back from her slightly and tucked his finger under her chin so she would look at him. "I am, and forever will be, ardently and unashamedly in love with you." Without a second thought, he swooped down and captured Hermione's lips with his.

Hermione felt as though she would float away like a balloon. Her heart was so light and her head was clear of thought. She wanted to stay like this forever. However, all good things must come to an end.

Fred broke the kiss. He looked down at her happily. "Now," he began, "what is it you wanted to tell me?"

Hermione felt herself crash back down into reality. She was going to leave to back to school. Their time together would be severely limited. Of course she'd see him on holiday and occasionally in Hogsmeade, but other then that...

"Oh, it can wait," Hermione said, deciding that she didn't want to ruin this moment. "Let's open the shop."

Smiling fondly at her, Fred said, "Yes, dear."

* * *

**AN: Finally! I finished this chapter. Writer's block is the absolute worst! Anyway, I started another story called An Unlikely Friendship. I totally recommend checking it out. it's a bit different, but I think you'll enjoy it. Please review!**


	13. Better Late Than Never

**AN: I know it has bee a while, but I hope you haven't given up on this story yet. I have a direction in which I want to direct this story, so please bear with me while I write. If ever you grow impatient waiting for the next chapter of this story, please feel free to check out some of my other work. There is a Fremione one-shot called I Wish He Had Told You, which is a bit on the sad side. There's also my other story called An Unlikely Friendship. That story follows an original character of mine called Drucilla Tonks. It will be a series eventually. Any who, without further ado, enjoy!**

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Everyone at the Burrow was outside in the garden, finishing up their dinner. Hermione, however, was in the kitchen adding the last few finishing touches to the hippogriff shaped birthday cake on the counter. Ginny was there too, but she mostly chattered at Hermione rather than helped with the cake.

"I hope Harry likes the birthday gift that I gave him," she said. "Honestly, he's so hard to shop for."

Hermione let out a small, breathy laugh. "Gin, all you have to do is give Harry something Quidditch related and he'll be over the moon."

Ginny huffed. "But everyone's going to give him something Quidditch related!" she whined. "I wanted to give him something special. Something he could remember me by while I'm at Hogwarts."

At the mention of Hogwarts, Hermione's mind wandered to other things. It had been a week since she had received her letter from McGonagall saying she could return to Hogwarts for her seventh year if she so wished. Hermione still hadn't told Fred that she was going. Of course she had try to tell him several times, but it never seemed to be the right time. Either he was busy or she was busy, or one of them was having an emotional breakdown. God, trauma is the absolute worst!

Just then, Molly came stumbling into the kitchen. "Hermione, love," she began affectionately, "are you almost ready to bring out the cake?"

"Oh yes, Mrs. We-er, I mean, Molly. I'm just about finished."

"Wonderful, dear! Ginny, come help me clear the dinner things from the table."

Ginny begrudgingly got up and shuffled after her mother.

Hermione sighed. She added a few more details to the hippogriff's feathers. It had a striking resemblance to Buckbeak, which Hermione felt Harry would appreciate.

Just as she finished decorating the cake, Fred came into the kitchen. He smiled softly at her. Shyly, she smiled back.

"They're ready when you are, love," he told her.

"All right. You go out and join them. I'll be out in a moment."

Fred walked closer to her, a smirk-y pout on his lips. Hermione felt herself blush, but she was able to keep her voice steady as she said, "Now what?"

Fred's smirk grew bigger and more mischievous as continued to make his way towards her. Hermione felt her heartbeat quicken. When Fred was standing in front of her, he wrapped his arms around her waste. He leaned down and kissed her softly. So softly, that Hermione was left wanting more when he pulled away. He then leaned down to whisper in her ear and said, "I just needed a kiss good bye."

For half a heartbeat, Hermione was afraid that he knew about the letter already. "W-what?" she asked half dazed.

"Well," he said, now leaning back so he could look at her, "you're making me go all the way back outside. It's going to be a while before I see you again."

Hermione rolled her eyes and wiggled out of his hold. "Frederick Gideon Weasley, you're being over dramatic!"

"No I'm not," he said with a laugh.

Again, Hermione rolled her eyes. "Oh no, you have to wait a whole whopping three seconds before you can see me again! You poor thing," she mocked.

"Now we're on the same page," Fred said with a wink.

Despite herself, Hermione laughed. "Fred, get outside before I whack you with a spoon!"

"As you wish, m'lady," he said with a flourishing bow before heading back outside.

_I have to tell him about the letter, _Hermione thought to herself. _Today._

**oOo**

Once everyone had finished with the cake, Harry opened his presents. As Ginny had predicted, nearly everyone got him something Quidditch related. The only people who hadn't gotten him something Quidditch related were Ginny, who had given him a gold chain with a small Hungarian Horntail pendent dangling from it. She told him that it could take the place of the tattoo she told the girls at school that he had. The only other people to give him something different, were Fred and George, who gave him all kinds of their products. "This'll help with all that Auror trainin', mate," George told him.

After all of that, everyone settled into a comfortable chatter. Hermione was talking to Charlie about the behavioral patterns of Norwegian Ridgebacks, a topic she found quite interesting, when Fred came up and tapped her on the shoulder. "Fancy taking a walk down to the lake?" he asked her. She nodded.

They walked together hand in hand. Though they said nothing to one another, Hermione felt as though she was on an adrenaline high. Just holding Fred's hand caused her to feel like she was touching some sort of electrical current instead.

When they had reached the banks of the lake, they stopped. Fred turned her so that she was facing him. In they setting sunlight, his flaming red hair looked almost violet. He brought his hands up to cup her face gently. He leaned down and kissed her, this time it was more fierce, as though it was the first and last time he would ever be able to kiss her.

"God, I love you," he whisper when he broke the kiss.

"I love you too, Fred," Hermione whispered back. "I love you so much that it hurts."

Fred swooped down and captured her lips once more. It was a needy, searing sort of kiss. Hermione had to hang onto Fred's waste in order to steady herself.

Hermione felt Fred slide his tongue along her bottom lip. Understanding what it was that he was asking, she opened her mouth slightly.

She had always thought that the idea of French kissing was disgusting. It always sounded like it would be a slobbering disaster. However, she found that she didn't mind it all that much. In fact, she rather enjoyed the sensation of it.

Fred pulled her closer to him. She moaned into his mouth, which caused him to kiss her more fiercely.

His hands began to slide up her shirt, when the thought of the letter came to her mind. _Wait, _she thought. _I can't do this without him not knowing about the letter. _

She broke away from his kiss. "Wait," she breathed out.

Worry shot through Fred's eyes. "Oh my God, I didn't hurt you did I?" he asked as he loosened his grip on her waste.

Hermione smiled warmly up at him. "No, I'm fine. I just need to tell you something before we go any further."

Fred looked a little relieved over the fact that she was okay, but he still looked worried. "Okay, what is it?"

She sighed and looked away before speaking, "Freddie, McGonagall sent me a letter along with Ginny's. She said that I could come back and go through seventh year if wanted to. I... I think I'm going to go back."

There was a brief silence before Fred replied with, "Okay."

Hermione looked up at him. He did look a bit disappointed, but he didn't seem upset. However, just to be sure, she asked, "Are you upset?"

Fred smiled down at her. "Of course I'm not mad, love. I just wish that I was able to spend more time with you is all."

"Well, if you're going to run the shop down in Hogsmeade, then we'll be able to see each other more."

Fred's smile deepened. "I nearly forgot about that!"

"I'll come and visit you as often as I can," she promised him.

He chuckled to himself. "Now I have to get that old flat all fixed up! George and I where just going to apperate home in Diagon Alley every night, but I can just stay in that flat while you're at school."

"Fred, you don't have to do that," she reassured him.

"Mione," Fred began, "If a bloke gets a chance to be with the bird he's been pining for the past five years, then he should take that chance!"

Hermione's eyebrow shot up in surprise. "You've liked me for that long?"

"Well, yeah," said Fred as though this were obvious. "I've always liked you, Hermione. I mean, don't remember when I had to be restrained from beating Malfoy to a bloody pulp when he called you names?"

Hermione giggled a little. "That's not what I meant by 'like,' Fred. I meant, when did you start liking me as more than just a friend?"

Fred's face turned slightly red. "Well," he said as he ran a hand through his hair, "if I'm being honest, I've like you since the summer we went to the Quidditch World Cup together."

"What?!"

"Yeah," Fred continued. "I mean, I always thought you were cute, and of course I knew you were exceptionally bright. I don't know, one day it just sort of hit me that I liked you. I think it was that one time when you decided to help George and I with our products after Ron had made you upset. Of course, you disapproved of everything, but you helped anyway."

Hermione thought this over for a moment. "Okay, if you liked me so much, then why didn't _you _ask me to the Yule Ball."

"Would you have said yes if I had?"

"I don't know. Probably not. I'd probably think you were pulling another one of your pranks."

"That's another thing, Mione. Haven't you ever noticed that George and I don't pull pranks on you?"

Hermione sighed and buried her head into Fred's chest. "I'm sorry," she mumbled.

Fred wrapped his arms around her. "For what, love?"

"For taking so long to notice."

Hermione felt his chest hum as he chuckled. "Better late than never."

* * *

**AN: Okay lads, there you are then. Hopefully that meet your standards. I apologize if got a little too heated for your liking. If you would like, I can put in warnings next time something like that happens. Just let me know. Any who, please review!**


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